CNN: [2] As much of the world settles into a new routine of social distancing, couples are likely to have a lot more free time at home to snuggle together.
[3] At first blush, you might think couples with some extra time on their hands would do things that could lead to a stork visiting nine months from now.
[4] Yet with US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin warning of dire scenarios and a possible 20% unemployment rate, couples whose jobs are vulnerable in this economy are likely to think again about kicking off their parenting journeys this spring.
[5] Then there’s the possibility of more couples splitting up. One marriage registry official in China said he saw a quarantine-related spike in divorces, showing that more time in closed quarters may be doing some couples more harm than good. [6] But for couples weathering this storm together, is this a time when many will choose to add to their brood? [7] “I don’t foresee a baby boom in nine months,” Dr. Renee Wellenstein, an OB/GYN and functional medicine specialist in upstate New York, told CNN.
In a less severe context, like a snowstorm, sure — it’s quite common to see an uptick in births nine months later.
She noted that couples spend more time cozying up indoors during the late fall and winter. Consequently, “in the northeast we see more babies in the late summer and fall months,” she said.