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With many families being told to stay at home and self-isolate due to Covid-19, for 3 months if not, potentially more, one question on many people’s minds at the moment is, will we see a global baby boom in 2021?
Expected to be dubbed the “Coronials”, many people have joked that left alone with their partners for an extended period of time, the chances of a new arrival 9 months down the line wouldn’t come as a complete surprise. Spending some time with your partner can be a great way to switch off, relax and unwind, and can actually have a very positive impact on your mental health.
You only have to look at the history books to see how this could pan out. Birth rates can rise and fall for lots of reasons, but there have been various key events in history that have caused the global birth rate to increase, in some cases quite substantially.
A good example is after World War II, where there was a massive spike in birth rates, particularly in the United States, deemed to be largely due to the celebration of peace, the return of American men who had been sent out to fight for their country and increased prosperity as the economy started to recover. Whilst for many, plans had been put on hold during the period of unknown, the financial stability of the country led to many more people settling down and making a choice to start a family.
A similar thing happened after World War I in the years 1918-1920, which also coincided with the end of the Spanish Flu. Given these examples, the concept of a 2021 baby boom isn’t so hard to comprehend.
For me personally however, I am not convinced it will be the case.
Getting pregnant during a global pandemic is not without its many challenges, and for some, the thought of even having to visit hospital for antenatal and postnatal appointments (let alone contending with a labor) where medical resources are already stretched and the risk of infection higher, will be enough to make many people wait.
I also think for those who already have children, the thought of adding a sibling when they already have more than their handful at home, is probably enough to make people extra cautious. From personal experience, I can say that after just two weeks of self-isolating and trying to juggle home schooling, working from home, financial challenges and uncertainty, as well as becoming a full time chef, housekeeper, referee, teacher, and a not particularly confident plate spinner, the chances of an additional child entering this household is virtually nil!
One thing is for certain, watching something like this unfold and people coming together to support each other, really makes you value the things you do have in life. However you choose to spend your time; whether it’s under the covers or elsewhere; look after your loved ones and stay at home.
