Doctors, hospitals report flurry of blizzard babies

[snopes]

Nine months after back-to-back blizzards brought life to a near-standstill in much of eastern Colorado, some doctors and hospitals say they're seeing one more bit of fallout: lots of babies.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/art...om0927-ON.html

[barbrainey]

The belief that being shut in during a blizzard causes couples to have sex more often, resulting in a "baby blizzard" nine months later is an old myth.

I remember reading about an anticipated "baby blizzard" in Chicago in October of 1967, nine months after a severe blizzard stalled the city. Newspaper headings would read something like, "Snow Storm Brings Baby Blizzard."

It's nothing new.

B. A. Rainey

[Artemis]

Doesn't that also assume that during blizzards, etc., that people suddenly stop using birth control? Granted, it might be harder to get to condoms, but a lot of people carry condoms around. And if you're on the pill or a hormonal method, then being in a blizzard probably won't make a difference.

[Eddylizard]

I've often thought it not so much of a co-incidence that maybe 80% of the people I know from the Isle of Man has a birthday in March, which is nine months after June, which is when they shut the roads for the TT and no-one can get out to do anything. My theory hasn't gained much credence amongst the natives though.

[snopes]

I thought the idea was more people are stuck together with nothing better to do.

We don't get many blizzards around these parts, but as far as I know (unless they're accompanied by prolonged power outages) they don't cause televisions, radios, CD/MP3 players, VHS/DVD players, the Internet, playing cards, board games, books, and all other forms of entertainment to disappear or stop functioning.

- snopes

[Artemis]

I thought the idea was more people are stuck together with nothing better to do.

That's what I thought the idea was, too. But, as I pointed out, people in blizzards ostensibly use birth control, right? Why are they then more likely to conceive kids?

Depending where in Colorado you are, the power does actually tend to go out for somewhat prolonged periods during the really big blizzards. Not so much in the cities, but definitely in the towns further out. And in some specific parts of some cities... my area of Colorado Springs has pretty old construction overall, so even during good weather it's not unheard of to have a couple hour blackout over a few block area. Had one just last week actually lol... first a flicker where the power was out for maybe 5 minutes, then later that day it was out for like an hour.

Course I don't really buy into the whole blizzard babies thing... I think if you're expecting a sudden influx of babies, it'll make normal traffic so to speak look heavier than it really is if that makes sense.

[snopes]

I'm not sure of all the details, but what my wife tells me is that the biggest increase is in first time parents. That is, this is their first child. I guess not every person is on hormonal birth control.

There are plenty of non-hormonal forms of birth control (everything from withdrawal to condoms), the relative efficacy of which is not affected by snowstorms or power outages. If they failed during a blizzard, they'd have been failing at the same rate both before and after the blizzard.

- snopes

[snopes]

"It's an urban legend," says Philip Morgan, chairman of the sociology department at Duke University. For one thing, he says, the vast majority of women of childbearing age are on contraceptives, and a power outage wouldn't make people change that.

Actually, says Morgan, a blackout may be the anti-aphrodisiac. With no TV and schools likely closed, kids may stay up late. People may be stressed out, stranded or busy coping with the cold.

One pregnant woman scoffed when asked if conception occurred during the blackout. She said she had so many layers on there was no way her husband could even attempt to touch her.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...oomlet03m.html

[Chloe]

Yes, but if you are doing it more often (bored, nothing else to do, etc.) the failure rate will increase.

Failure rate is per year, not per act.

I will see if I can get the wife to look up some of the studies that did find a "baby boom". Not all did, true, but some did.

I didn't know we had a wife.

[Chloe]

Then the failure rate would go up because more tries, more chances of failure, so the failures per year would go up.

But how many 'tries' is the standard annual failure rate calculated for?

Then the failure rate would go up because more tries, more chances of failure, so the failures per year would go up.

The failure rate (ie. number of failures per 100 acts of intercourse) is unlikely to be affected by the snowstorm/power outage/whatever. The absolute number of failures may be affected if the number of acts of intercourse increases. However, I have yet to see a scientific study that indicates that this is the case.

[snopes]

During historic snowstorms in December and February, folks trapped indoors searched for ways to relieve the boredom. Nearly nine months later, the things some residents did seem to be breeding results.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...080103339.html

[zman977]

If the power goes out where we live it is either too hot or too cold to have sex. If it is a heat index of 100 like it will be here tomorrow and the power goes out the last thing we'll be doing is getting our grove on. We'd probably be headed to either one of our parents houses to sit in the A/C. If a winter storm hit and the power goes out We'd be putting on as many cloths as possible and cuddling under a nice warm blanket. I can see why people would want to believe this myth.

"It is evidently pleasing to many people to fantasize that when people are trapped by some immobilizing event which deprives them of their usual activities, most will turn to copulation."

and maybe some people do this but as has been said, if you're using birth control you're not suddenly going to stop and say, "hey the powers been out for six days, let's have a kid." Doesn't work that way in the real world.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by zman977

maybe some people do this but as has been said, if you're using birth control you're not suddenly going to stop and say, "hey the powers been out for six days, let's have a kid." Doesn't work that way in the real world.

Apparently it does for all those people who use electrically-powered forms of contraception.

[DawnStorm]

Originally Posted by snopes

Apparently it does for all those people who use electrically-powered forms of contraception.

If there is a spike in DC area births next spring/early summer, it will be because of the vicious thunderstorms the area is experiencing now.

Dawn--why don't we do it in the rain?--Storm

[snopes]

With nearly 15,000 homes left without power, numerous roads closed and homes buried nearly to the eaves by the fluffy stuff, residents were reduced to finding alternate ways to whittle away the time indoors.

The board games were eventually exhausted, movies were watched and re-watched, and after all was said and done, for many couples there was little else to do. Suffice it to say that February really lived up to its signature holiday.

Now, the consequences of this “boredom” are just about due, and not even Harford County is safe from what is being called the “Blizzard Baby” phenomenon.

http://www.exploreharford.com/news/6...-harford-shut/

[Ana Ng]

"Not even Harford County is exempt"- are people exceptionally not shaggable there?

[Mad Jay]

I had to shovel snow in the December shitsnowstorm. I had to shovel all the snow. No way I could have done anything that resulted in a baby after nine months

[snopes]

Friday marks the nine-month anniversary of "snowmageddon" -- the February blizzard that shut down much of Maryland for days. Some couples used that time to, well, get a little closer and at least one Baltimore-area hospital is seeing the results.

http://www.wbaltv.com/r/25637687/detail.html