Not only is the Monkey Year an auspicious time to give birth, it's also the first opportunity for many families to have more than one child, with China ending it’s one-child policy last year.
Daisy Yuan never thought she would have a second child. The Beijing resident is currently five months pregnant, and already mother to three-year-old Niu Niu.
“It was actually an accident and something I didn’t consider. But when it happened I spoke with my parents and husband and we realised that it was a good opportunity for Niu Niu to have a companion,” Yuan says.
The 33-year-old fell pregnant just after the Chinese government ended it’s long-held one child policy in October last year.
Daisy Yuan and her three-year-old son Niu Niu. Source: SBS News
“I’m very happy, and it’s a monkey which is lucky. Monkey children are said to be smart and joyful, also energetic,” she says.
The new Lunar New Year will end the year of the sheep, a less desirable birth year according to Chinese astrology, and usher in the year of the monkey.
The lucky zodiac combined with the new policy have many predicting a bumper year for babies in China. In Beijing alone at least 300,000 newborns are expected - a 20 percent jump from the 250,000 average in recent years. German fertility drug maker Merck, has seen a boost in sales on the mainland.
Although not everyone adheres to ancient customs, some couples were extra mindful of becoming pregnant after May last year to ensure they would have a ‘Monkey baby’.
“The monkey king is the biggest hero in our culture and we would love to have a monkey baby so we can have a hero kid,” excited soon-to-be father Zoubai Wang says.
Wang’s mother was born in the year of the sheep, and encouraged her son not to have a sheep baby because those born in the sheep year have less luck.
“She grew up during a hard time and experienced hunger, so maybe that’s why she has this idea,” Wang says.
Feng Shui master Wang Hao Hua says that’s why many couples may have held off giving birth the year before.
Feng Shui master Wang Hao Hua says sheep years are bad for having babies. Source: SBS News
“We have a changing sequence that takes place every year, which is what we Chinese call the 12 Chinese Zodiac," he says.
"Based on that, the year of the monkey follows the Year of the Sheep. And generally people agree that the year of the goat is a bad year, so the number of people who want to give birth is low in that year.”
Although Wang would love to take advantage of the second child policy, they’re not sure they can afford to. Like many other young couples in major Chinese city, they’re struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living.
“The new policy will impact urban areas a lot, but in urban areas the cost is the important factor,” Professor Du Peng, sociologist and population expert from Beijing’s Renmin University, says.
“Another problem is the lack of resources. The government is developing more facilities in terms of healthcare, so that families actually have somewhere to go if they do get pregnant again. At the moment there aren’t enough hospital beds.”
Some Beijing hospitals have reported maternity beds booked out until this April, and a 30 percent boost in bookings with the new Monkey Year.
Dr Wang Wejun, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Beijing’s Amcare hospital, says more older women are also approaching the hospital looking to conceive again.
Children born in the year of the monkey are said to have lucky lives. Source: SBS News
“For mothers born in the 1970s for example, who have already got older... if they have wishes to have a second baby, we would try our best to help them to accomplish that,” Dr Wang says.
Yuan says she feels lucky to be able to afford to move into a bigger apartment in Beijing to support her growing family and is looking forward to helping Niu Niu adjust to life as an older brother.
“It may take some time to get used to, but he’s also looking forward to it," she says.
"He’s born in the dragon year, so he’s confident and smart - a great match for a monkey sibling.”
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