Post-lockdown baby boom set to make arrival
FIGURES SHOW RISE IN NUMBER OF WOMEN BOOKING ANTENATAL SLOTS
GREATER Manchester might be about to see a post-lockdown baby boom.
It’s too early to tell how many babies will be born following last year’s lockdowns, as the latest figures on births only cover up to December last year nine months after the first restrictions began.
However, figures published by NHS Digital show a rising number of women had been for their first antenatal appointment during that nine months.
The number of women attending a booking appointment in Greater Manchester rose to 34,480 between March and December last year, up from 30,735 in the same months in 2019.
The booking appointment is the first appointment with a midwife and usually takes place when a woman is between eight and 12 weeks pregnant.
The number of appointments recorded in March to December 2020 is also higher than the figure for the same months in 2018, when there were 32,825 appointments – although this may suggest figures for 2019 were lower than usual.
Some of the rise last year may be down to women heading for their appointment earlier than they have previously.
The proportion of booking appointments happening in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in Greater Manchester jumped from 48 per cent in March to 54pc in April, and have climbed to above 60pc through the rest of the year.
In terms of the number of births in Greater Manchester, the number dropped slightly in December.
There were 2,660 births recorded in December, down from 2,770 in November and 2,895 in October.
With lockdown starting on March 23, with some measures before then, December is possibly too early to tell what impact the early days of the pandemic had on numbers of babies being born.
Across England, figures suggest the first lockdown may have led to fewer women getting pregnant, but numbers potentially rose as restrictions eased.
The closure of fertility clinics during the first lockdown may also have had an impact on the number of women getting pregnant. Variations in the numbers may also reflect changes in how pregnant women accessed care during the pandemic.
Dr Jo Mountfield, consultant obstetrician and Vice President at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “In the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey we conducted of obstetric units in the UK found that 70pc of obstetric units reported a reduction in antenatal appointments and most units (86pc) reported a reduction in emergency antenatal presentations.
“This data suggested women may have delayed seeking care during the first wave, and this could have been for a number of reasons including confusion around whether these appointments are essential, fear of attending a hospital or not wanting to burden the NHS.”