Dragon year expected to give 'baby bump' to falling birthrate(3)

Older mothers

The average marriage age of women rose from 22 years in the 1980s to 26.3 in 2020, official data shows. Women are also giving birth to their first child later in life, at the average age of 27.2.

"My observation is that women usually have their first baby at around 30 years of age. The number of second children is rising, but we seldom see women having a third child," said Kang, the hospital president in Shanxi.

"Mothers who give birth a second time are usually older compared to first-timers, which also poses challenges for doctors to ensure their safety," she said.

Kang said guaranteeing safety during pregnancy and preventing birth defects are of great significance as the nation has highlighted the high-quality development of the population.

"It is important to determine whether a child might be born with defects early in the pregnancy through comprehensive tests. With the declining birthrates these days, it is even more important to ensure that each baby born is healthy," she said.

Ji Yong, head of the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, said that nearly all babies in the province born in critical condition are sent to the facility for treatment.

"Unlike adults, infants cannot express their discomfort and can only cry," she said.

"It is crucial for us to provide meticulous management, special care in incubators, and create a womb-like environment for babies. We weigh them daily, measure their length weekly and monitor their medication intake and physical condition every 12 hours," she said.

Zhang Yanling, head of the obstetrics department at Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, said that the majority of mothers giving birth at the hospital are aged 30 to 35.

"At our hospital, we rarely see pregnant mothers aged 20 to 25. Those aged 25 to 30 make up around 35 percent, and those aged 30 to 40 account for 43 percent," she said.

Zhang added that more than 70 percent of babies are a mother's first child, while second children make up over 20 percent.

Jiang, the obstetrician in Beijing, said that the proportion of high-risk pregnant women — those aged 35 or older with high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, and other existing illnesses — is on the rise.

"The most significant change lies in the number of pregnant women aged above 40. This morning alone, I received five such cases," he added.

Shen Haiping, deputy director of the National Health Commission's Department of Maternal and Child health, said at a recent news conference that more efforts will be made to carry out pregnancy risk assessments and categorize and manage pregnant women based on their risk levels.

She added it is important to formulate individual treatment plans for at-risk pregnant women.