Kids & Family
Windstorm Mini-Baby Boom Reported at Local Hospital
Verdugo Hills Hospital reports a spike in August and September babies—about nine months from the time that people in Montrose, La Crescenta and La Cañada lost power for several days during the December 2011 windstorms.
The windstorm and subsequent power outages that wracked much of Northeast LA and the San Gabriel Valley in December 2011 may explain how Verdugo Hills Hospital saw a boost in baby births in August and September, about nine months following the power outages in Glendale and the Crescenta Valley, according to a hospital obstetrician.
The hospital, which usually has about 50 deliveries each month, saw 69 births in August and 55 in September—a clear increase, said Steven Hartford, Ph.D., and Chief of VHH Medical Staff.
"September and August were busy months," said Hartford. "That’s probably when these babies [were] delivering."
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Couples haven't told Hartford exactly when they conceived, but he did the math.
"They’ve never specifically pointed it out. I think they’d be a little sheepish about the details," he said.
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"When there’s no power, there’s nothing to do, that’s how the younger people occupy their time,” he said.
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