What Caused North Carolina Baby Boom the Night of Hurricane Irene?
- Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:00am by
Liz Klimas
- Print »
- Email »
The Wilmington, North Carolina, hospital is wondering just this question: What happened nine months before Irene? On the night Hurricane Irene swept through the state, the winds must have brought along the stork: births in New Hanover Regional Medical Center were 30 to 40 percent higher than usual.
According to the local ABC News station (via Technorati), quoted one of the new mothers as saying that as soon as she was able to leave the delivery room, another woman was brought right in. A total of 12 babies were born during the hurricane.
Watch the report here:
Technorati observes that this isn’t the first time extreme weather conditions and on-set of labor have gone hand-in-hand:
A study done at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital of Houston TX, which was conducted in 1997, certainly supports this occurrence. Authored by King EA; Fleschler RG; Cohen SM, this non-experimental, retrospective study showed a significant increase in the on-set of labor in the 24 hours after a sudden drop in barometric pressure versus the 24 hour period before the drop.
So while some may wonder what happened in North Carolina nine months before Hurricane Irene, perhaps the more important question is how many Irene’s will be born nine months from now? ABC reported that some of the mothers who gave birth to girls Saturday night are considering Irene as a middle name.
Comments (32)
Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In
Popular Stories
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 591 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 417 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 415 Comments
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 383 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 376 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 417 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 415 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 383 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 151 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know 100 Comments- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 303 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 417 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Bernard
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:49pmNow let’s look at the economic future of those babies. Will they grow up in a nation deep in depression? remember the last depression was only stopped by world war 2. till then unemployment and misery ruled the 1930′s. Then we had a massive industrial and manufacturing base. It was Ford who invented the “assembly system” that helped the military to pump out ships by the week and planes by a few days. Those days are now history for we have “exported” our industrial and manufacturing base and have added so much red tape that it is impossible to ressurrect them.
Report Post »Which means this depression has not outlet and could last more than a decade. So what is the future of these babies? my answer they will not have the money for higher education and if they do, they will have to find employment abroad. Failing that they will be living with their parents well into adulthood.
One silver lining. Nations that export their talent have gained from foreign remittance. Two years ago it was Mexico that led the pack with remittance of 30 billion dollars going back to Mexican families from Mexicans in the US. Last year and this year it is India with remittance of 50 billion dollars going back to that nation from the Indian diaspora across the world. Who knows maybe the US will receive such monies from US workers working abroad and sending a good portion of their money back to their families here in the US. cross you fingers.
cntrlfrk
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 3:33pm‘
Yep, drop in barometric pressure would do it.
Happens with all animals. Serious weather changes will cause the babies to pop right out.
Consider the convenience of having birth just before a storm hits, so you are able to move for cover versus waddling pregnant.
Amazing what happens when you are developed by an all-knowing GOD.
.
Report Post »Strosity
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 3:27pmStress induced premature labor.
Duh.
Report Post »Steev
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:31pmJust throwing it out there – how many people died during the hurricane who weren’t supposed to die, God thinks pretty far ahead !
Report Post »Attention2Detail
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:11pmNobody died who wasn’t supposed to die. God thinks pretty far ahead. All deaths are sad, but we’re all going to die and only God knows when.
Report Post »BexRN
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:38amYep–barometric pressure. Regular, run-of-the-mill storms also bring laboring patients in in droves.
Report Post »rangerp
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:21pmHmmm, let me think. Perhaps exactly nine months prior to the hurricane, a bunch of the good folks in N.C. had one very enjoyable evening.
Report Post »Scruff
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 11:17amI would think, given the state even of our public schools, that everyone over the age of 8 years would know what caused this (although in many cases, not who).
Report Post »chkiaar
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 10:53amActually, it was the low pressure of the storm
Report Post »DanWesson455
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 9:30amUh? Scary stuff getting your blood pressure and adrenalin moving to the high side of the scale?
Report Post »AntiLiberal74
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:33amIncorrect usage of the term ‘baby boom’. Babies born next Memorial Day will account for any baby boom occuring during Hurricane Irene.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 7:28amHas anyone cross referenced cheap gas station wine and flower sales 9 months ago?
Report Post »ZABO
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:50ami hope there was a baby boom. just like SAVAGE says we need to populate the white race. are numbers are down across the country. i just wish we didn’t need hurricanes to give whitey a fighting chance in the future.
Report Post »Sheepdog911
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 6:17amNow this is a non-story. This phenomonon has been known just about forever and happens everywhere. Next story, “The sun rose over North Carolina this moning!”
Report Post »smokeysmoke
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:13ami have heard before that…. the LOW PRESSURE associated with hurricanes is strong enough to help a women who is close to labor… to induce it…. i have heard this about other hurricanes i have been present…
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 6:16amA sudden drop in barrametric pressure can also bring on a seizure for an epileptic, I know from experience. I had a near seizure (got the aura) when we had a tornado warning (not watch, but warning).
Report Post »EdFulop
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 8:11amMy daughter was born during Hurricane Arlene in 1999. The hospital was similarly overrun with women whose water had broken PRIOR to getting to the hospital. The doctor told us it was because of the drop in barometric pressure from the storm. When the barometric pressure is high, or normal, the womb meets that pressure with equal pressure from the inside, and the force from inside and out “equalize”. When the outside pressure drops quickly, the inside pressure is still pushing out. They were delivering babies in the hallways that night.
Report Post »Diane TX
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:47amWas it very cold in North Carolina in late November, early December 2010?
Report Post »oldsoldier10
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 7:13amSnowed in Dec 2010 very unusual in NC that time of the year. I would be interested in the demographics of the number of babies born during that seudo-hurricane. Hurricane Fran in 1996 was a huricane.
Report Post »vtxphantom
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:47amHigh stork population.
Report Post »BOUGHT YOUR SILO YET?
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:39amI know, I know…(hand waving in the air).
People were too poor to buy each other Christmas presents so instead they gave the gift that takes 9 months to collect.
Report Post »BarbWire
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 2:36amI have heard that it sometimes does make a difference about the tides, or the moon, or the weather or something. I have been with-child 10 times and have had 7 live births. My friend once asked me to see if I had them all at similar kinds of times, like full moons or something. After checking, there was nothing similar at all in the times my babies were born. There might be something to it, but not in my case.
Report Post »Free_Stater
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:45amI believe it is called having sex with your wife and the sex resulted in a child growing in her tummy. The winds of Irene blew the storks into the hospital!
Report Post »WAR PIGS CRAWLING
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:15amThat’s cute…..try “plowin dat ho……who be loookin at me’……Uhmm…yeah….good loving…north/south woods style……
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:43amI especially like the part of “considering Irene as a middle name” I‘m always hearing about how much ’fun’ it is to name a child :)
Report Post »BBomber66
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:50amThat was my question.
Report Post »1casawizard
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:47amIt’s the natural survival thing that keeps us alive. Mother was under pressure and had to hurry things up a bit so both or one could survive. A lot of younguns gonna be in same class w/same b/date.
Report Post »thepatriotdave
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:22am“What Caused North Carolina Baby Boom the Night of Hurricane Irene?”
Report Post »====================================================
Sex!
dr_funk
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:40amAnd after the hurricane, births will be slightly down for several days.
Report Post »Bullfrog85
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:37amIncreased stress/anxiety = Early labor. I thought everyone knew this
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 1:00amIndeed, though if it turned out there was one heck of a party nine months ago….maybe?
Report Post »NationOregonian
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 12:18amJust goes to show that you should be ready for ANYTHING!
Report Post »