Full moon/change in B-metric pressure = more babies born????

PegRNBSN · Apr 9, 2005

The daughter of one of the nurses that I work with did a research project for college using our 250 delivery a month hospital. She found no increase for a full moon but did find a statistically significant increase with the new moon

suzanne4, RN · Apr 9, 2005

i worked in a major metropolitan hospital in Detroit. It had an extremely busy Labor and Delivery area. The numbers were always higher over these days, same as with the number of psych patients that came in thru the ER. If you were already sceduled for a night during this time and wanted it off, you had to promise to work two of the other person's shifts.

Ask any OB residents....................

live4today, RN · Apr 9, 2005

I always think of a full moon as a time when hospitals are filled with crazy admits.

My maternal grandmother (may she continue resting in peace) said that when there is a full moon, more girls are born. She told me I was having a girl with my first baby because she was being born during the full moon. Granny never lied, but these are family stats that have always come true for Granny. :)

BRANDY LPN · Apr 10, 2005

You might also want to google "the christmas affect" there have been some studies done relating to the increase of births in Sept. and Oct.

suzanne4, RN · Apr 10, 2005

That has more to do with "sex" over the holidays, not changes in barometric pressure. Same thing happens when a city has a power outage of several days. The birth rate is always significantly elevated nine months later.

lauriesalRNC · Apr 10, 2005

Yes it is absolutely 100000000% true. When we are about to get a snowstorm or thunderstorm, or the week before full moons we are almost always busier than usual. I remember once last July we were expecting major thunderstorms to come through. That night we admitted SIX women within 2-3 hrs of each other all with ruptured membranes. It's true I tell you!

Have any of you noticed this?? If you have any info/stories I would like to hear them. I am trying to find evidence to support or disprove this claim.We were given a chance for extra credit if we do research on this so I wanted to ask the people that ought to know.Any/all facts, stories, websites welcomed! Thanks CRB

lauriesalRNC · Apr 10, 2005

Oh yeah and we are usually very busy in Oct which exlplains that holiday theory... to much New Year's partying! and the summer after 9/11 , we were extremely busy also!

Yes it is absolutely 100000000% true. When we are about to get a snowstorm or thunderstorm, or the week before full moons we are almost always busier than usual. I remember once last July we were expecting major thunderstorms to come through. That night we admitted SIX women within 2-3 hrs of each other all with ruptured membranes. It's true I tell you!

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 10, 2005

I would love to see actual studies on this. But anecdotally, we see lots of SROMs when storm fronts are moving through. That I know from nearly 8 years in OB. Full moon effect? NOt really...some months, it's crazy, others moon is full as can be and it's silent. I think storm fronts do put people in labor due to barometric changes. Esp in places like the Great Plains where the BP can drop very precipitiously. I saw this in OK all the time.

lauriesalRNC · Apr 10, 2005

Storms are definitely worse than full moons. I think there is probably strong evidence that a storm effects labor more than the moon like you said. Whenever we have a storm coming, look out! Nobody wants to work L&D that night! everyone comes in with SROM.

I would love to see actual studies on this. But anecdotally, we see lots of SROMs when storm fronts are moving through. That I know from nearly 8 years in OB. Full moon effect? NOt really...some months, it's crazy, others moon is full as can be and it's silent. I think storm fronts do put people in labor due to barometric changes. Esp in places like the Great Plains where the BP can drop very precipitiously. I saw this in OK all the time.