Births at Christmas are different: population based survey of 2 million deliveries

Melbye, Mads; Wohlfahrt, Jan; Westergaard, Tine; Jensen, Anne K. V.; Koch, Anders; Hjalgrim, Henrik; Kristensen, Annemette; Aaby, Péter

doi:10.1136/bmj.315.7123.1654

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…A similar result was found in a study of 2,005,096 births from 1 January 1960 to 30 September 1994 in Denmark. Lower than usual numbers of term births occurred on Christmas Eve, when the most important family gathering takes place, and the following three days, but there was no reduction in numbers of preterm births [ 49 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of singleton births by onset of labour and mode of birth in NHS maternity units in England, 2005–2014: A study of linked birth registration, birth notification, and hospital episode data

et al. 2018

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BackgroundMaternity care has to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is known that obstetric intervention can influence the time of birth, but no previous analysis at a national level in England has yet investigated in detail the ways in which the day and time of birth varies by onset of labour and mode of giving birth.MethodWe linked data from birth registration, birth notification, and Maternity Hospital Episode Statistics and analysed 5,093,615 singleton births in NHS maternity units in England from 2005 to 2014. We used descriptive statistics and negative binomial regression models with harmonic terms to establish how patterns of timing of birth vary by onset of labour, mode of giving birth and gestational age.ResultsThe timing of birth by time of day and day of the week varies considerably by onset of labour and mode of birth. Spontaneous births after spontaneous onset are more likely to occur between midnight and 6am than at other times of day, and are also slightly more likely on weekdays than at weekends and on public holidays. Elective caesarean births are concentrated onto weekday mornings. Births after induced labours are more likely to occur at hours around midnight on Tuesdays to Saturdays and on days before a public holiday period, than on Sundays, Mondays and during or just after a public holiday.ConclusionThe timing of births varies by onset of labour and mode of birth and these patterns have implications for midwifery and medical staffing. Further research is needed to understand the processes behind these findings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of singleton births by onset of labour and mode of birth in NHS maternity units in England, 2005–2014: A study of linked birth registration, birth notification, and hospital episode data

et al. 2018

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“…Lower than usual numbers of term births occurred on Christmas Eve, when the most important family gathering takes place in the evening, and the following 3 days, but there was no reduction in numbers of preterm births. 167…”

Section: Preterm Birthsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Births and their outcomes by time, day and year: a retrospective birth cohort data linkage study

Macfarlane

Dattani

Gibson

et al. 2019

Health Serv Deliv Res

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BackgroundStudies of daily variations in the numbers of births in England and Wales since the 1970s have found a pronounced weekly cycle, with numbers of daily births being highest from Tuesdays to Fridays and lowest at weekends and on public holidays. Mortality appeared to be higher at weekends. As time of birth was not included in national data systems until 2005, there have been no previous analyses by time of day.ObjectivesTo link data from birth registration and birth notification to data about care during birth and any subsequent hospital admissions and to quality assure the linkage. To use the linked data to analyse births and their outcomes by time of day, day of the week and year of birth.DesignA retrospective birth cohort analysis of linked routine data.SettingEngland and Wales.Outcome measuresMortality of babies and mothers, and morbidity recorded at birth and any subsequent hospital admission.Population and data sourcesBirth registration and notification records of 7,013,804 births in 2005–14, already linked to subsequent death registration records for babies, children and women who died within 1 year of giving birth, were provided by the Office for National Statistics. Stillbirths and neonatal deaths data from confidential enquiries for 2005–9 were linked to the registration records. Data for England were linked to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and data for Wales were linked to the Patient Episode Database for Wales and the National Community Child Health Database.ResultsCross-sectional analysis of all births in England and Wales showed a regular weekly cycle. Numbers of births each day increased from Mondays to Fridays. Numbers were lowest at weekends and on public holidays. Overall, numbers of births peaked between 09.00 and 12.00, followed by a much smaller peak in the early afternoon and a decrease after 17.00. Numbers then increased from 20.00, peaking at around 03.00–05.00, before falling again after 06.00. Singleton births after spontaneous onset and birth, including births in freestanding midwifery units and at home, were most likely to occur between midnight and 06.00, peaking at 04.00–06.00. Elective caesarean births were concentrated in weekday mornings. Births after induced labours were more likely to occur at hours around midnight on Tuesdays to Saturdays, irrespective of the mode of birth.LimitationsThe project was delayed by data access and information technology infrastructure problems. Data from confidential enquiries were available only for 2005–9 and some HES variables were incomplete. There was insufficient time to analyse the mortality and morbidity outcomes.ConclusionsThe timing of birth varies by place of birth, onset of labour and mode of birth. These patterns have implications for midwifery and medical staffing.Future workAn application has now been submitted for funding to analyse the mortality outcomes and further funding will be sought to undertake the other outstanding analyses.FundingThis project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full inHealth Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 7, No. 18. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

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“…To the extent that those births born in the reference week are deemed as representative of births born in a wider temporal window, selection bias stems from the the fact that births are not homogeneously distributed throughout the year or even throughout seasons. Several studies document that births follow significant patterns throughout the yeas and that picks and trends are associated with parents' characteristics (McFarlane and Mugford 1984;Melbye et. al.…”

Section: Appendix a Sample And Attritionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Parent-Child Cultivation and Children’s Cognitive and Attitudinal Outcomes from a Longitudinal Perspective

Pensiero

2011

Child Ind Res

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This work adopts the concept of "concerted cultivation" (Lareau A. American Sociological Review 67 (5), 747-776, 2002, 2003) to interpret how socioeconomic differentials in child rearing practices generate unequal children's outcomes, distinguishing between children's participation in organized leisure activities and children's engagement in cognitively stimulating activities. Results show that it is the engagement in cognitively stimulating activities and not the participation in organized activities more generally that enhances children's reading ability and the locus of control. Path analyses confirm that the selected dimensions of parent-child cultivation-parental expectations, direct stimulation, parental interactions with the school and children's engagement in cognitively stimulating activities-mediate more than half of the socioeconomic gradient in children's reading ability and the locus of control, even after controlling for the previous level of abilities. In addiction, the effect of parent-child cultivation is largely independent from and stronger than parental socioeconomic characteristics. The model is assessed on a large cohort sample (British Cohort Study 1970).

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Births at Christmas are different: population based survey of 2 million deliveries

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Timing of singleton births by onset of labour and mode of birth in NHS maternity units in England, 2005–2014: A study of linked birth registration, birth notification, and hospital episode data

Timing of singleton births by onset of labour and mode of birth in NHS maternity units in England, 2005–2014: A study of linked birth registration, birth notification, and hospital episode data

Births and their outcomes by time, day and year: a retrospective birth cohort data linkage study

Parent-Child Cultivation and Children’s Cognitive and Attitudinal Outcomes from a Longitudinal Perspective

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