Like many ethnic Chinese around the world, Ms Mok believes the mythical dragon is the most auspicious sign in the traditional 12-year zodiac cycle. "The dragon is special," the flawlessly groomed Hong Kong native, who works as a makeup artist, tells BBC News. "Of course, I am not willing to wait 12 years for a dragon baby, but I was willing to wait one or two years."

Ms Mok is due to deliver her second child, another daughter, in early February. In part because of greater demand for maternity services, Ms Mok plans to spend 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,820; £8,333) for medical care alone. That is 50% more than the amount spent on the birth of her first child, Ashley, just three years ago during the Year of the Rat, a less auspicious year.

Many couples across Asia are making extra efforts to give birth to so-called "dragon babies" in 2012. The trend is expected to trigger a temporary fertility boom and place a strain on public services in certain cities, as well as cause some families to go on spending sprees. In Hong Kong, the government expects 5% more births in 2012, compared with 2011. Doctors and academics believe the figure may be as high as 10%.

Childcare
Having a baby during the Year of the Dragon is very expensive compared with other years
Companies selling infant formula milk, nappies and prams are expected to cash in, as well as specialist service providers. According to Chinese tradition, a woman's body is at its most vulnerable after birth.

If possible, she should enter a period of confinement at home for one month after birth, to ensure her long-term recovery. BBcare, a Hong Kong agency that provides pre- and postnatal services, expects 20% growth in revenues in 2012, compared with 2011, due to the dragon baby trend.

The largest part of its business is referring postnatal care nurses to expectant families. Average hourly rates have already risen 15%, according to Wendy Lam, an experienced nurse at BBcare. The agency says enquiries have jumped 25%, and it is forecasting more successful referrals than in previous years.

With so many mothers giving birth in Hong Kong, the company believes there will be a shortage of postnatal care workers.

Property market
The dragon baby boom is also expected to give a boost to property markets in some Asian cities. In a recent research note, analysts at Citi investment bank argued there would be more births and marriages in the new lunar year, leading to an increase in property transactions in Hong Kong.

It explains that the Western calendar has 365 days, whilst the lunar year has 354 days. The extra days add up to one month every three years, creating a "leap year" in the Year of Dragon. Citi property analyst Ken Yeung cites data showing the number of marriages grew by 12% in good years, compared to just 1% in other years.

"These new marriages provide a good source of potential home buyers," he writes. "This should drive structural demand for homes in 2012, while new supply will remain tight in the near term."Property prices in mainland China and Hong Kong have fallen because of Beijing's efforts to cool economic growth.

Global markets?
The fact that the Year of the Dragon is a lucky time to give birth is widely accepted in the Chinese-speaking world, from Taiwan to Indonesia. But giving birth this year is especially expensive, compared with other times, and not everyone is jumping into the fray.

Charlie Chen, China consumer analyst at BNP Paribas, says other factors are at work when it comes to deciding when to have a baby. Like others in the financial industry, his salary and bonus are, in part, determined by the performance of global markets.

With so much uncertainty in Europe and the US, Mr Chen says he has no choice but to pass on the dragon. "I am married," he says. "Personally, I would like to have a baby in the Year of the Dragon, but I've got to postpone it because of market turmoil."

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Friday evening in a busy west London maternity hospital and I'm being wheeled briskly into theatre for my emergency caesarean. There is a sense of urgency, a situation growing more grave by the minute. Paediatricians hover and doctors consult. "Does the baby need in-utero resuscitation?" I hear someone ask. Should I have a general anaesthetic or an epidural; how much time do we have? My husband is whisked away to dress for theatre. I feel strangely calm, relieved to be in the hands of doctors duly concerned about my labour, away from the midwives who seemed anything but during the past seven hours in their care.

The anaesthetist administers an epidural. "Three minutes," the surgeon tells him, his eyes fixed on the heart monitor showing my baby's distress.

At six minutes past midnight, Amelia is born. The radio in the theatre is playing Waterloo Sunset, but apart from that there is no sound. The hearty scream I took for granted with my first two children is startlingly absent. As is the sight of a lusty pink baby that latches on within seconds. If I don't hear a cry in the next few seconds my world will collapse. I hear the faintest mewl. "Is she all right? Is she breathing?" I call, twisting my head in their direction, the rest of my body numb.

Ten minutes later I see her for the first time; she is perfect, but worryingly pale and sleepy. A paediatrician explains that Amelia was born not breathing but with a reassuringly strong heart-rate. They don't need to admit her to the neo-natal unit but want to supervise her closely for 24 hours. The rest of the night passes in a blur of paediatricians monitoring her blood sugar levels, temperature and heart rate. How could it have come to this?

Rewind to an over-stretched maternity ward several hours earlier. "You probably won't give birth until tonight," one midwife told me. "The labour ward's full anyway." And that's where my nightmare began. I'd been induced that morning and sent home; when I returned I was taken to a waiting area. By late afternoon my contractions were increasing, yet none of the midwives seemed interested. "They're so strong now," I told one. "Count them then, they should be every two minutes." She barely looked up.

More time passed before I was wired up to a heart monitor known as a CTG – cardiotocogram – to check the unborn baby's heart rate for signs of fetal distress. "Isn't it trying to tell us there's something wrong?" we asked a midwife who was passing when it beeped at regular intervals. She laughed and told us how to turn it off should it beep again.

Still no one checked my progress. My midwife seemed mildly surprised when I told her that I'd been induced. The contractions were frequent now, and still the monitor kept beeping. Finally my husband collared our midwife, hoping to get an idea of when I might go to the labour ward. Surely something should be done? She looked vague but said she would examine me. "Those contractions look pretty strong but you're hardly dilated." She stared at the monitor, baffled. "Maybe I'll call the doctor." Soon afterwards I was moved to theatre.

Later I discovered that I had shown signs of hyperstimulation, due to my induction, which can affect the baby's heart rate. I still can't help thinking about the "what ifs". What if my husband hadn't demanded some action? If another hour had passed without them checking me? There are no clear answers, even from Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, when I tell her about my case. "One of the things we're trying to do is to create systems where more than one person looks at the trace [of the CTG scan]. It is a very inexact science and so a lot of places are introducing double-checks, every hour. There's a real appreciation that we've got to up our game in terms of CTG training."

I have since read that around 500 babies a year are thought to die because of this problem, and an unknown number of others suffer brain damage. The next morning, a doctor told me that had Amelia been delivered much later, we'd be looking at "a very different outcome". As it was, all of Amelia's tests were clear; I was discharged a day later with a healthy baby.

Eight years ago, at the same hospital, the midwifery care I had was excellent and the standard of medical expertise there still is. Yet my experiences with midwives was startlingly different. Was it a case of bad luck? Partly, I suspect, combined with broader issues such as a national shortage of midwives, a funding crisis and soaring birthrates.

I complained to the hospital who took my case extremely seriously and the midwives' behaviour was investigated. When I met them, the clinicians said that, according to my midwife, she had beeped a doctor around an hour before that final examination, but there was no response. The hospital has stressed the importance of not muting alarms or asking patients and relatives to do so. They agreed that "the option of transferring earlier to the delivery suite to be monitored could have been discussed and put into place sooner". My midwife also apologised for the "quality of care before Amelia was born".

Almost a year later I feel profoundly fortunate to have a healthy baby, but I still shudder when I think how different things could have been.

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One of the world’s smallest surviving babies was discharged Friday from the hospital where she spent nearly five months in an incubator — but not before getting the Hollywood treatment.

Wearing a pink knit hat and wrapped in a pink princess blanket, Melinda Star Guido was greeted by a mob of television cameras and news photographers outside the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.“I’m just happy that she’s doing well,” said her 22-year-old mother Haydee Ibarra. “I’m happy that I’m finally going to take her home ... I’m just grateful.”

Melinda was born on August 30 weighing just 9 1/2 ounces, less than a can of soda. She was so tiny that she fit into her doctor’s hand. Melinda is believed to be the world’s third-smallest surviving baby and second smallest in the U.S.

Now weighing 4½ pounds and breathing through an oxygen tube as a precaution, doctors said Melinda has made enough progress to go home. Her brain scan was normal and her eyes were developing well. She also passed a hearing test and a car seat test that’s required of premature babies before discharge.

It’s too early to know how she will do developmentally and physically, but doctors planned to monitor her for the next six years. “I am cautiously optimistic that the baby will do well, but again there is no guarantee,” said Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan, who oversees preemies at the hospital.

Most babies as small don’t survive even with advanced medical care. About 7,500 babies are born each year in the U.S. weighing less than 1 pound, and about 10 percent survive. Melinda has come a long way since being delivered by cesarean section at 24 weeks after her mother developed high blood pressure during pregnancy, which can be dangerous for mother and fetus.

She was whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit where she breathed with the help of a machine and received nutrition through a feeding tube. Infants born before 37 weeks are considered premature.

Even after discharge, such extremely premature babies require constant care at home. Their lungs are not fully developed and they may need oxygen at home. Parents also need to watch out for risk of infections that could send infants back to the hospital. Even basic activities like feeding can be challenging.

“They may need extra help and patience while they learn to eat,” Dr. Edward Bell, a pediatrician of the University of Iowa who runs an online database of the world’s smallest surviving babies born weighing less than a pound.

The list features 130 babies dating back to 1936 and does not represent all survivors since submission is voluntary. Melinda was not eligible to be included until she was discharged. Two years ago, Bell published a study in the journal Pediatrics that found many survivors have ongoing health and learning concerns. Most also remain short and underweight for their age.

There are some rare success stories. The smallest surviving baby born weighing 9.2 ounces is now a healthy 7-year-old and another who weighed 9.9 ounces at birth is an honors college student studying psychology, according to doctors at Loyola University Medical Center in Illinois where the girls were born.

Soon after birth, Melinda was treated for an eye disorder that’s common in premature babies and underwent surgery to close an artery. Ibarra held Melinda for the first time after the operation in November. Her parents said the toughest part was battling traffic after work every day to see their daughter.

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Around 1,200 stillbirths a year are avoidable, a report launched today (18 January) has claimed. Preventing Babies’ Deaths: What Needs to be Done, produced by infant death charity Sands, argues that many of the 6,500 stillbirth and neo-natal deaths each year in the UK could be a prevented through better research, improved investment in antenatal care and greater awareness among parents of the risks of stillbirth.

Despite medical improvements, the stillbirth rate of one in 200 babies is the same as in the late 1990s and is among the highest rates in the developed world, according to the report, which adds that one in 300 babies dies before they are one month old.

Sands chief executive Neal Long said: "The scale of baby deaths in the UK is shocking. 17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day, with stillbirth being the largest contributor to child deaths under the age of five years."

The charity is calling for better research into the causes of stillbirth. Around a third of stillbirths are still unexplained and placenta abnormalities are poorly understood. A third of stillbirths are believed to be associated with low birth weight. The charity is calling for better targeting of women at risk of poor baby growth such as the over-35s, those classified as obese and those who smoke or misuse drugs and alcohol.

The government is being called on to improve maternity and neonatal services. The report notes that the Royal College of Midwives estimates 5,000 more midwives are needed nationally. Antenatal screening also needs to be more sophisticated. According to the report, current screening is "not dissimilar to those in use 40 years ago".

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Urgent action is needed to tackle Britain's high rate of stillbirths and deaths in the first few weeks of life, according to a report. The charity Sands said up to 1,200 stillbirths a year could be avoided. Each day, 17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth, a figure that has barely changed since the late 1990s.

In 2010, 4,110 babies were stillborn, another 1,850 died in the first hours or days of life and 507 died aged between one and four weeks. Sands is calling for a range of measures including research into scans and tools that may identify babies at risk, particularly later in pregnancy, and increased public awareness of the risks for expectant mothers.

Neal Long, the charity's chief executive, said: "The scale of baby deaths in the UK is shocking. A third of stillborn babies – around 1,200 – are born late in pregnancy [after 37 weeks' gestation], at gestations when they might safely be delivered. But routine antenatal care is failing to detect far too many babies who need help."

The report said there was an urgent need for new tests to understand some of the major causes of stillbirth, including problems with the placenta. Common causes of stillbirth include congenital malformations, maternal medical problems and birth complications and infections. However, a third of cases cannot be explained. "Problems with the placenta are poorly understood and require urgent research – until there is a way to test whether a placenta is functioning well, all women and their babies are potentially at risk," the report said.

Experts hope that a test could be developed to pick up problems with the placenta early on, enabling doctors to work out whether the baby needs to be delivered earlier than 37 weeks.

The report said some deaths were due to failures of care. "Around 500 babies die every year because of a trauma or event during birth that was not anticipated or well managed. These deaths, when they occur at term, should never happen and almost always could be avoided with better care."

Increased public awareness of the risks was also needed, Sands said. A third of stillbirths are associated with excess weight, smoking and being over the age of 35.

Gail Johnson, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "It is important that all practitioners involved in maternity care are aware of the risks associated with stillbirth and that work continues to explore how stillbirth can be reduced.

"Current antenatal screening cannot identify all babies at risk, and research into how best midwives and doctors can deliver antenatal care to reduce stillbirth is welcomed."The public health minister, Anne Milton, said: "We continue to invest in research into the factors linked to stillbirth through the National Institute for Health Research's ongoing programme on women's health."Last year, a Lancet study reported that Britain had one of the worst records of stillbirths in the developed world.

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When I was 26 weeks and six days pregnant I went to hospital, completely expecting to be told I was an overanxious, neurotic, depressed pregnant woman. I had a headache and felt a bit strange. It was hard to describe. I had my blood pressure done, urine samples taken, bloods drawn and a scan.

With each procedure I felt more and more uneasy. It became apparent that I had severe, rapid onset pre eclampsia. I was very poorly, and my baby was in deep, deep trouble.

The sonographer estimated my baby to weigh 800 grams, when he should have been around 1,000 grams. I had an emergency caesarean section the day after my diagnosis, at just 27 weeks. When my baby was delivered, he was so tiny he weighed 650 grams. We named him Joseph, which means “Jehovah will enlarge”. I couldn’t see him until he was 10 hours old, because I was too sick to be moved. When I saw him, I loved him.

I felt immediately bonded, but it was a very long road. After 76 days in the Special Care Baby Unit, we brought him home.  Once home, although Joseph was well, and grew in strength every day, I found it very hard, and wasn’t prepared for all the emotions that came with it.

Whilst I had had some experience with premature babies, through friends, and had some medical knowledge through my work as a clinical case manager, nothing prepares you for being thrust into that situation, and I feel that having information written down in a clear format would have helped me crystallise my thoughts and prepare for the journey ahead.

Today sees the publication of a book which will arm parents of premature babies with plenty of information and which I feel sure would have eased some of my worries. “Having a Premature Baby”, produced by Tommy’s  (thanks to a grant from the ASDA foundation), is a free guide to everything parents who have been told their baby may be premature, or have had a premature baby, will need to know.

I was personally involved in putting the book together,and mine and Joseph’s experiences are just some of several case studies which will hopefully equip new parents with better understanding of what’s to come, and answers to their questions.

I am one of the rare “preemie” parents who have been in a unit and had some experience before it all happened to me. Of course it was still a great shock, but I was up to speed on a lot of the jargon, medical terminology etc and was used to asking questions and challenging consultants. With 50,000 babies born prematurely in the UK every year, imagine the nightmare for parents who have little or know knowledge about premature birth or its implications.

If I had had access to “Having a Premature Baby” in that 24 hour period immediately after Joseph’s birth I would have felt so much more reassured and prepared. It explains everything from why babies arrive prematurely, to reducing to the risk of premature labour, gives full insight into the difficulties of birth for infants born weeks before their due date and tells you everything about what to expect from your baby’s time in hospital to how to care for them when you take them home.

From 16 weeks pregnant, there were concerns about me developing pre eclampsia. I was careful not to use Google, but had seen in my pregnancy books that pre eclampsia means you may be induced early, or put on bed rest. None of my books mentioned that I could deliver such an early baby through caesarean section. Tommy’s guide clearly explains pre eclampsia and why some women have to deliver so early.

Now Joseph, that tiny little baby, is two-and-a-half (pictured)! He is cheeky, happy, smiley, loquacious and very clever, and has pretty much caught up, although he is a little on the dainty side. I am proud to have shared our story to help other families who are starting their journey with their precious premature children.

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TAXPAYERS are handing over $260 million each year to subsidise childcare for high-income families, prompting calls for a rethink on the level of generosity. But women's workforce advocates have warned against making cuts, arguing the subsidy saves money long-term because women who drop out of paid work lose skills and confidence and stop paying taxes. More than 65,000 families that earn double the average wage - or more - are claiming the childcare tax rebate.

In past years, Labor considered applying a means test but ruled it out amid fears such a move would cut women's workforce participation. But new data reveals the bill to taxpayers of subsidising childcare for wealthier households. It cost taxpayers $244 million for the childcare rebate and $14.7 million for the childcare benefit for families earning more than $150,000 last year. That is an average of almost $3700 a year to each higher-income family.

Families earning between $30,000 and $60,000 a year still get the biggest slice of taxpayer funds for childcare ($658 million) followed by those earning less than $30,000 ($593 million). But $1 in every $6 of taxpayer assistance for childcare goes to households earning more than $120,000 a year, and $1 in every $12 to households on more than $150,000. Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cassandra Goldie said it was time for a rethink on who received taxpayer help to pay for childcare.

ACOSS wants the means-tested childcare benefit and the non-means-tested childcare tax rebate to be rolled into a single means-tested payment, to direct the funding to families on the lowest incomes.
''In the economic situation we have before us, we need to ensure our financial expenditure is well targeted to those who are most in need,'' she said.

Dr Goldie also cast doubt on the idea that many women from better-off households would drop out of the workforce if their subsidies were axed. ''The factors that influence decisions on who does paid work in these households are complex - the financial implications are only one part of that,'' she said. Kathleen Swinbourne of the Sole Parents Union also urged a rethink on subsidies for higher income households, but said she did not want them axed. ''All children deserve quality care, regardless of their parents' income, but the hard question is who should pay for that,'' she said.

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The onset of teething precedes the eruption of a tooth by several days. The first tooth usually erupts by six months but this may vary between four and 10 months. Teething has also been called “cutting of the teeth” and the medical term for teething is odontiasis.

Treatment with pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can keep a baby comfortable. However, under the age of six months, some experts feel that ibuprofen should be avoided because of potential side effects. Ibuprofen, unlike acetaminophen, has anti-inflammatory effects, but it may also be harsher on the baby’s gastrointestinal tract.

Medications which contain a local anesthetic called benzocaine, should be avoided. These are medications which typically are placed on the baby’s inflamed and tender gums. In November, 2006, Health Canada issued a warning about the use of benzocaine in infants as well as certain adults. It may be associated with an increased risk of methemoglobinemia, a rare, but serious condition in which the amount of oxygen carried through the blood stream is greatly reduced. And in May of last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged the avoidance of all forms of this produce – sprays, lozenges and gels – in children less than two years of age except under the advice and supervision of a health-care professional.

Applying gentle pressure on the gums may help ease the discomfort. Rubbing the gums with a clean finger or using a cool object such as a teething ring can be tried. Biting down on a clean facecloth may work. Objects in the child’s mouth which may cause choking should never be used. And alcohol should never be used to numb the gums.

Homeopathic drops have helped a number of babies deal with the discomfort. It is generally regarded as safe, but more studies are required before it can be suggested as standard of care.

Send pediatrician Peter Nieman your questions at pediatrician@globeandmail.com. He will answer select questions, which could appear in The Globe and Mail and/or on The Globe and Mail web site. Your name will not be published if your question is chosen.

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The Holly Martin Stillbirth Research Fund says stillbirths are more common than cot deaths in Wales. The health and social care committee will hear stillbirth figures have hardly changed in more than 25 years. The Welsh government said the trauma of stillbirth was "unimaginable" and its maternity strategy was committed to improving care.

The charity's founder Isobel Martin, who she lost her first baby 26 years ago, said a baby was stillborn in Wales "every other day". Ms Martin, from Brecon, Powys, said everything was normal with her pregnancy up until 37 weeks, when she noticed reduced movement. Her baby, Holly, died three days before her due date.

Ms Martin said: "I then had to go through 16 hours of labour and deliver a dead baby."She said it was a "horrendous" experience, and there was no real help in coping. Ms Martin added: "I set up the charity because Holly's been in my mind every day.

"It was her 25th birthday and I thought that was the right time to start to do something about it. "When I looked into it the figures weren't much better from when I lost my baby. "In Wales, there's a baby being stillborn every other day."

According to Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity, Sands, more than 4,000 babies are stillborn (born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy or more) in the UK annually. According to figures in 2009, the charity says 177 babies are stillborn every year in Wales, which is one in every 200 babies born.

Approximately 10 times more babies are stillborn than die of cot death every year in Wales, according to Sands. Dr Alexander Heazell, a clinical lecturer in obstetrics at St Mary's hospital in Manchester, will also give evidence to the committee.

He said: "It's something people are quite reluctant to talk about, and because it's not talked about, people find it hard to warn parents to be aware of things like babies' movements. "One of the great changes that Isobel and people like Isobel are bringing about is to discuss stillbirth and ways we might reduce it."

A Welsh government spokesman said: "The trauma of losing a child to a stillbirth is unimaginable, and we extend our sympathies to any family who has suffered tragic loss."He said its maternity strategy set out the results it wants for women during pregnancy and childbirth.

"The effectiveness and quality of NHS maternity services clearly has a fundamental role to play in delivering these results. "This document, and other work going on at an all-Wales level, also sets out our expectations of NHS Wales in transforming maternity services so a real difference can be made to families in Wales."Ministers were committed to promoting the highest levels of quality of individual care for each woman.

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Leaving your baby at day care centre is the worst part about going back to work. So its time for working mothers to buck and make the best of what they have. If you have to leave your infant at day care you can still make sure you are doing all your motherhood duties. Start by packing a 101 bag for your baby. It should cover the possibilities for everything that your baby might need during the day. Here are some guidelines for working mothers to pack the perfect bag for their baby's day care centre.

Things To Pack In Baby Day Care Bag:

1. Diaper Bag: The first one is an absolute must for the infant in a day care. It is not like they will leave your baby without a diaper at the centre but it is always better to have your own diapers. That way you can be sure of the hygiene and the brand your baby is using. If you do not want your baby to wear diapers all day then pack the homemade or natural replacement for it.

2. Baby Food: Many day care centres for the baby offer food but you can forgo that option. Any day care centre that forces you to accept their food option is not worth it. You have to understand your baby's nutrition needs from a pediatrician and prepare the food accordingly. You need to provide all the food for the day and also pumped breast milk if necessary.

3. 2 Change Of Clothes: It is always wise to pack at least 2 changes of clothing for the baby because babies are prone to soiling their clothes. Moreover you need to check on the temperature maintained in the day care centre. If the air conditioning is too chilly then you need to pack warm clothes too.

4. Baby Wipes And Bibs: If you don't want to wash clothes everyday you better pack sufficient baby wipes and at least one bib with the baby. The attendants have a lot of babies to feed at once and there is every chance of a spill or two.

5. Bowls, Spoons And Any Other Utensils: It is always advisable to feel the baby in your own utensils. The tiffin boxes, spoons, bowls and bottles used to feed the baby should be provided by you. That way you can make sure your baby is being feed in hygienically washed utensils. Provide spares if need be.

6. Toys: All day care centres are equipped with the best toys for babies but if you feel that your child cannot do without some of his/her favourites then give it by all means. Especially pacifiers are very important if the baby gets agitated.

7. Emergency Phone Numbers: Leave a highlighted list of emergency contact numbers along with a list of instructions in the day centre records and your baby's bag.

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