Some economists and midwives are predicting a baby boom due to the series of major snowstorms that hit the Northeast during the winter of 2009-2010. While researchers like J. Richard Udry of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, who analyzed the local birth rate nine months after a 1965 blackout in New York City, say it's just a myth. Despite controversy over whether the snowbaby phenomenon exists, America's birth rates are steadily increasing with many families conceiving more than two children.
In Pennsylvania, and specifically the Philadelphia area, expecting parents are facing a growing crisis. Mercy Suburban Hospital is the seventh hospital in Pennsylvania to halt OB services in just the past five years. In the Philadelphia area, 19 maternity wards have closed in a little more than a decade.
"Maternity care across the Delaware Valley continues on a crisis course, even beyond the economic problems of Philadelphia and other population centers.
The problem is particularly severe in Philadelphia and its four Pennsylvania suburban counties, where since 1997, 18 hospitals have ceased providing maternity care and Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton has announced it will end obstetrical services after June 10, 2010. Between 2004 and 2006, the number of obstetricians/gynecologists practicing in Pennsylvania decreased 11 percent. In southeastern Pennsylvania, the number of OB-Gyns has dropped about 30 percent since 2001.
Meanwhile, the rate of premature births - with their heavier use of medical and financial resources - has been increasing across Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and in the nation as a whole. The infant mortality rate in Philadelphia is increasing and is significantly higher than the national rate. These factors further pressure those hospitals and professionals still providing maternity care and raise additional issues about prenatal care," reports Dr. Ann L. Rappoport in a January 2010 article for MetroKids Pennsylvania.
Carlyn Hunt who wrote Philadelphia's Maternity Care Crisis for Green City Journal urges "If you live in the greater Philadelphia region, contact your state and city legislators and ask how they plan to tackle the maternity care crisis. Legislators need to be educated on the issue. Recognizing that a crisis exists will help mobilize state and federal resources."
Maternity Unit Closures in Southeastern PA:
- Medical College of Pennsylvania (1997)
- Germantown (1998)
- Nazareth (1998)
- City Avenue (1999)
- Roxborough (1999)
- Warminster (2000)
- Elkins Park (2001)
- Episcopal (2001)
- Mercy Philadelphia (2002)
- Methodist (2002)
- Mercy Fitzgerald (2003)
- Parkview (2003)
- Frankford (2006)
- Jeanes (2007)
- Brandywine Hospital (2008)
- Chestnut Hill Hospital (2008)
- Central Montgomery Medical Center (2009)
- Temple East-Northeastern Hospital (2009)
- Mercy Suburban Hospital (2010)
Additional Resources:
Maternity Care Coalition and Mommobile.org: The mission of Maternity Care Coalition is to improve maternal and child health and wellbeing through the collaborative efforts of individuals, families, providers and communities. Since 1980 Maternity Care Coalition has been bringing together people who care about the health and well-being of pregnant women, infants and young children, and high risk families.
Childbirth Crisis Escalates with Closure of 19th Maternity Unit: Mercy Suburban Hospital Announces Closure Posted by Vivian Silvestri on PhillyBurbs.com - December 10, 2009
Next hospital to stop delivering babies: Mercy Suburban in East Norriton by John George, Staff Writer - Philadelphia Business Journal - Friday, November 20, 2009
The Maternity Unit Dilemma: More have closed, costs are rising and there's no answer in sight.
by Ann L. Rappoport, PhD, MetroKids Pennsylvania, January 2010
Obama baby boom turns out to be a bust. Rumors of election conceptions don't result in actual rise in bundles of joy By Chris Tachibana, msnbc.com contributor, Aug 6, 2009
Holy Redeemer Plans Bigger Maternity Unit: Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center in Meadowbrook, PA has announced a $10 million expansion and renovation of its Maternity Center of Excellence. About 3,000 babies per year are delivered at Holy Redeemer, an increase of 50 percent since 2005. The expansion will accommodate 4,000 births and provide state-of-the art surroundings.
American Association of Birth Centers, nation's most comprehensive resource on birth centers, is a multi-disciplinary membership organization comprised of individuals and organizations who support the birth center concept.
VIDEO: America's Baby Boom, CBS NEWS on December 21, 2007 7:52 AM
Americans are having more babies at a rate unmatched in more than 40 years. Maggie Rodriguez speaks with psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere about what motivates people to procreate.
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