With Couples Rethinking Children, We Might See the Opposite of a COVID-19 Baby Boom
Lita Danlag, 29, an ICU nurse from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, had spent more than a year trying to get pregnant. In the winter of 2019, she and her husband suffered a devastating blow when they lost a pregnancy, but they continued trying to the point that it became a singular focus, buying a fertility-tracking smart bracelet to raise the odds.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and everything changed. In the absence of reliable data about how the virus affects newborns, Danlag grew concerned about the prospect of conceiving during the pandemic, and she knew her risk of exposure was high due to her line of work. That became especially true when she decided to move to New York City, the epicenter of the virus, to work at the ICU at NYU Kimmel Pavilion Hospital.
“I’d been so focused on trying to conceive, so it was hard to think of stopping,” she tells Rolling Stone. “[But] after having my first miscarriage I want to do everything I can in my power to make sure I have a healthy pregnancy. I just don’t want to risk it right now.”
Danlag’s individual circumstances may be unique, but the sentiment is not. Demographers are concerned that the pandemic could lead to an even sharper drop in the already-declining birthrate, due to fears about job loss or health concerns related to the virus itself.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/covid-19-fertility-birth-rate-baby-boom-pregnancy-1003104/
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