Are Babies Born At The Same Time?
Some people believe that most babies are born at about the same time of day – between 6 and 10 am. However, this depends on the type of delivery and other external and internal factors.
This is a subject that is much debated and can cause confusion. We will take a closer look at the topic in this article.
What determines whether babies are born at the same time of day?
Experts agree that the method of delivery is a determining factor when it comes to time of birth.
In the past, there was a small intervention for mothers in labor. As a result, most deliveries took place at night. Some experts argue that this is because there were people present at night to help a woman in labor.
However, there are other factors that can also explain this phenomenon, such as:
Caesarean sections usually take place at the same time of day
Nowadays many births are already planned. In this planning, the doctors take into account the health of the mother and the baby. Caesarean sections usually take place between 6 and 10 am. The most popular time is 8 a.m.
These caesarean sections are usually performed during the week from Monday to Friday.
This is because it is not possible to have a caesarean section during the weekend or on public holidays due to working hours or schedules. It also happens less at night, unless there are complications.
An induced birth
In the births that are induced, the time span in which babies are born is different. In this case, women often give birth between 1 pm and 7 pm.
What is the explanation for this? The majority of these mothers are medicated in the morning or undergo induction techniques. This then ensures that there will be more contractions during the day, leading to a delivery in the afternoon.
Spontaneous Births
Spontaneous births are less common and the timing of these births is unpredictable. In other words, no one can claim that most women go into labor at the same time of day.
However, doctors say there is a higher chance that a woman will have contractions at night. Some people believe that melatonin (a hormone produced by the absence of light) fuels hormones such as oxytocin, causing a woman to go into labor.
That is why you sometimes see that babies are born around 4 am. If there are complications or the process is delayed for some reason, there is more chance that the baby will be born the next morning.
With spontaneous births, it is also impossible to predict which day of the week a woman will give birth – although some studies show that more babies are born on a Tuesday. However, nothing has been proven yet.
More Interesting Facts About the Time of Births
Obviously, there is no way to determine if most mothers give birth at the same time. However, there are specific statistics depending on the type of birth.
After a while, the experiences of obstetricians and gynaecologists resulted in a collection of interesting data. For example, about 30% of babies are born in the months of January, September and October.
In addition, 60% of women give birth during the day – between 6 am and 6 pm. It is also interesting that there are significantly fewer births in the months of November and December.
Finally, the day of the week on which most women give birth is Sunday.