The Full Moon?

[Cherry Alive]

Exactly, how true is it that women birth during the full moon?

I'm concerned, because if that's true my baby could either be 1.5 weeks early or 2.5 weeks late.

[boscopup]

Considering that babies are born every day of the month, I don't think *all* women birth with a full moon, or even most women. Neither of my kids were born on a full moon. One had PPROM about 10 days prior, and the other came about 5 days prior. (I just looked them up - didn't know that off the top of my head )

I certainly don't think your baby would stay in 2.5 weeks late just because the moon isn't full.

[Sheryl1678]

My understanding is that the full moon had a much greater impact on menstrual cycles, ovulation and childbirth prior to electric lighting that screws up our melatonin/hormones.
Supposedly women still ovulate and give birth more on the full moon in undeveloped countries but don't quote me on that.

[Haselnuss]

I used to work in a hospital and noticed that the birth center, which usually had 2-3 women in it (small town), would suddenly be completely packed every few weeks, but never thought to check the moon phase - d'oh.

I did check the moon phases for my own, my SO's, and my 3 children's births, and both my SO and I, and oldest DC were born within a day of the full moon (maybe full-moon babies flock together? Astrologically, it usually means one's sun and moon signs are in opposition, actually). My other two were born right on the 3rd quarter, FWIW.

Here's an article I found about this:
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/dr_moonchildbirth.html

"Just as some women experience false labor pains, in cases where the water breaking marks the start of childbirth, full moon is the time when it's most likely to happen."

And another article: http://www.redorbit.com/news/display...ource=r_health

"The results of previous scientific studies of a possible lunar-labor connection have been mixed. Some studies have shown a relationship between the lunar cycle and an increase in deliveries, but the studies have differed on which moon phase produced the most births."

[RebeccaWo]

I would think it's just confirmation bias.

[boscopup]

Thinking about this some more... my goats tend to birth over a 2 week timeframe. I've never paid attention to whether the moon was full or not, but since there is a 2 week period of births, some of those goats aren't birthing anywhere near a full moon. The goats also wouldn't be affected so much by artificial lighting, since there is no lighting in our pastures.