Number of babies being born goes down, hospitals report
By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-10-21 09:11:04 | Word Count: 770
Patrick and Kari Miller had planned to start a family within a year, but they found the economy affects more than just jobs and retail sales.
Patrick, 26, is majoring in biochemistry, hoping to enter medical school. Kari, also 26, has a pilot's license, but gave up plans to fly and enrolled in nursing school. Both are waiting tables to make ends meetWe had planned to start a family by at least 27 or 28, but now with both of us in school, we're probably pushing it back to, like, 30," says Patrick.
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The Millers are joining a trend that is reflected in a decreasing birth rate, from Shelby County to the nation as a whole.
Statistics show that during stressful economic times, from the Great Depression to the deep recession that began in 2007, people put off having families.
At the Tennessee Health Department, statistical analyst George Plumlee says the number of Tennessee births rose slowly in the early 2000s, from 13.4 births per 1,000 women in 2002 to a rate of 14.2 in 2007. Suddenly, in 2008, it dropped to 13.9.
The numbers are not dramatic spikes but show a continuum that is suddenly interrupted, says Dr. Carol Hogue, a professor of maternal and child health and epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta. Like other epidemiologists, Hogue hesitates to attribute the most recent drops specifically to the staggering economy. But, she says, "If it's real, it's not surprising because of the well-known association between the drop in birth rates after recessions and depressions in the United States."
Trends in Tennessee birth rates changed during the Great Depression that began with the stock market crash of 1929 and continued through the 1930s, and again during the recession of the 1980s. Statistics show birth rates up to 23 per 1,000 women when the economy was booming in the "Roaring 20s." After 1929, it began to drop, falling to as low as 18 in 1936.
"The rate went up with the post-war baby boom in the 1940s, when all the daddies were coming home from the war," says Plumlee. The rate climbed to as high as 27 in 1947, then leveled off and began a decline. Birth control methods had improved.
Memphis and Shelby County hospitals saw decreases in births over the last year. At The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, there were 5,167 births in 2007 and 4,629 births in 2008, a drop of 538 for the year. During the last three-month period available (July 1-Sept. 30), The Med had a drop of 150 births, from 1,279 in 2008 to 1,129 in 2009.
At Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, births dropped from 5,125 in 2007 to about 5,012 last year. At Methodist LeBonheur Germantown Hospital, births fell from 2,937 in 2008 to 2,648 this year. At Methodist South, the number dropped from 881 to 880 in the same period. Births dropped at St. Francis Healthcare from 1,879 in 2007 to 1,762 in 2008.
At Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region, community affairs director Joan Carr says she has seen an increase in numbers of women asking for birth control, annual exams and tests. "We attribute that to the economy because more of our patients are telling us they have lost their jobs or their health insurance. They come here because our services are free to those who don't have insurance or have little or no family income"
For Patrick and Kari Miller, there is no question about ties to the economy and the birth rate. "We've definitely had a hit in the restaurant business. People are bringing in their own wine, skipping appetizers, skipping desserts. It means smaller tips. It's harder to pay your bills, so it's hard to even imagine having children at this time.
"It's a big disappointment. I think it would be best to have your children when you're young and have the energy to keep up with them."
