An estimated 17 million babies will be born in China this year – one million more than last year.
Partly because the Chinese believe that babies born in the Year of the Dragon will enjoy a life of luck and prosperity.
And for good measure, more parents are also attending prenatal education to make sure their dragon babies get a head start in life.
There’s prenatal music, yoga classes, advice on nutrition and how to tend to baby.
Along with rising affluence, demand for prenatal education has risen among Chinese parents.
Even more so this year, because it’s the Year of the Dragon.
A prenatal education center said it’s expecting to see a 25 per cent increase in its enrollment.
Demography experts said baby boomers born in the 1980s are also contributing to the spike in numbers.
But the baby boom also means that hospitals are fully booked.
Nannies are in short supply, and they are charging more.
Monthly fees are now US$1,200, instead of US$900
And because there are so many of them, dragon babies will also face more competition getting into good schools and finding a job.
So while they may be born the luckiest, life for them may not always be the easiest.
Source Channelnewsasia.com