‘Double Ten babies’ declining in popularity

Even the Teletubbies are more famous than babies born on the nation’s birthday, according to the United Evening News.

Babies born on Double Ten used to be a sign of good fortune, bringing fame to the whole family. It is a dream mothers wished for to have their babies born on this special date, the report said.

Lee Mao-sheng, a well-known doctor in the field of human reproduction, observed, “Ten years ago, obstetricians and gynecologists were afraid of Double Ten, as families would make reservations to have a caesarean section on this date.”

The clinic would be at least twice as busy compared to a normal day, as almost all mothers wanted to share their joy with this nation, he said.

Another doctor from an obstetrics and gynecology clinic remarked that giving birth on Oct. 10 has become a thing of the past.

“Seven or eight years ago, people were very excited about it, hospitals would prepare presents for babies born on that day. But now, the political pressure is affecting that day’s birthrate big time.”

Also the nation’s birthrate is dropping from more than 300,000 to the current 200,000 per year, due to the poor economy, said the doctor.

This year, the first Double Ten baby was born in Taiwan Adventist Hospital at 1.58 a.m., a boy given the nickname “Shih-tsai” (Ten) — to share the happiness of the nation’s birthday.

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