According to foreign media reports, more and more British women are trying to get pregnant in January or mid-December to ensure that the child can be born in September, thus gaining an academic advantage and winning at the "starting line of birth".
In the UK, an average of 2,000 babies are born every day in September, compared to 1,800 babies born per day in other 11 months. September has been the most popular month for 20 years, and more and more expectant mothers are now struggling to give birth to their September babies. This is no accident, and several studies and education experts have confirmed that the oldest child in the class can gain an academic advantage.
It is reported that a 2013 report in the United Kingdom showed that children born in the autumn had a 25% higher chance of going to Oxford and Cambridge. Former teacher and education writer Georgina Durant has said that children born in September have 12 months more time to practice their motor skills, social skills, emotional management and communication skills than other children before going to school. Academic researchers call this the "date of birth effect." Britain's Institute for Fiscal Studies found back in 2010 that there was a "significant punitive effect related to date of birth" in national test scores.
▲ 34-year-old Darya Jordan's daughter born in September
"My mother was an elementary school teacher. She saw a huge difference in the students because of the time in which they were born. Darya Jordan, 34, listened to her mother's strong advice and did her own research and found that children born in the summer of July and August had difficulty keeping up with the school curriculum because they were often the youngest children in the class.
Darya points out that the summer of pregnancy is a good thing for both mothers and children, because the body can get more vitamins, especially vitamin D obtained through sun exposure. A 2015 study by the University of Cambridge found that receiving more sun exposure during pregnancy can make girls weigh more at birth and adolescence later. Darya also pointed out that another advantage for children born in September is that they have exposure to a variety of viral bacteria that appear in colder weather, and thus develop a strong immunity at an early stage, which can last a lifetime.
Darya's daughter was born in September 2020. She has now felt the benefits of her previous painstaking planning, and her daughter Alina is very outstanding among her peers and has better expression skills.
Carmen Antoch's son, like his father and grandfather, is a September baby
Carmen Antogher, 27, also noticed how good her September baby was. Because her husband and father were born in September, he felt the benefits and wanted his children to be born in September. Their son, Patrick, was born as a September baby, and now at the age of 3, he has shown a very smart side.
More and more expectant mothers want to have their children born in September. Obstetrician Ellie Rayner points out that if you want a baby in September or early October, the ideal time to try it is from mid-December to the end of January.
Red Star News reporter Lin Rong
Edited by Pan Li
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