Sales of baby gifts such as clothing and hampers may well start to rise over the next few months.More new born baby gifts could fly off the shelves as NHS staff and doctors have predicted more births than usual for this time of the year. And proud friends and family will be buying more baby gifts to give to new parents.
Due to treacherous conditions at the beginning of the year, the big freeze forced many couples to stay indoors and come up with fun ways to keep themselves entertained. The result has seen more women becoming pregnant and they are now expected to give birth over the next few months.
According to an article published in The Courier, the bad weather and the gloomy financial situation led many couples to stay indoors and keep themselves busy.
Although September and the next few months are predicted to be busier than ever this year, this is usually the busiest time of the year anyway for many midwives up and down the country.
Speaking to The Courier, Kay Forsyth, Head of Midwifery Patient Care and Nursing for NHS Tayside said: “People in maternity services will tell you that September is likely to be the busiest month. Largely because it is nine months after the new year and people forget to take their contraceptive pills.”
With more births predicted this autumn, the staff at NHS Tayside are not doing anything in particular to cope with the greater demand. This is largely due to the fact that a lot of women will have their babies a few weeks later or earlier than their actual due date.
Ms Forsyth added: “If the service is showing signs of getting busier, we have mechanisms whereby we can bring in staff to deal with the workload. “