A "baby boom" has emerged during the epidemic in Northern Europe, which has overcrowded delivery wards. A "baby boom" has emerged during the epidemic in Northern Europe, which has overcrowded delivery wards. Almost all developed countries are facing challenges brought about by low fertility rates.

The world's total fertility rate (TFR) dropped from 4.97 to 2.47, and a "baby boom" occurred during the epidemic in Northern Europe, crowding out delivery rooms.

A "baby boom" appeared in the Nordic epidemic and the delivery room was overcrowded. 1 During the epidemic, Icelandic hospitals ran out of beds.

However, unlike what everyone imagined, those who are in urgent need of beds are not COVID-19 patients, but pregnant women who are about to give birth.

Since the epidemic, fertility in most developed countries has dropped significantly.

For example, in 2020, the fertility rate in the United States reached an all-time low, and the number of people born in France that year was the smallest since World War II.

However, the Nordic countries stand out, with the number of births rising instead of falling. Iceland is the most significant: in the second quarter of 2021, the number of births in Iceland was 16.5% higher than the average; the birth rates in Finland and Norway also increased by 7% and 5% respectively.

Ms. Zhang, a Chinese scholar living in Norway and the mother of a child, told China Business News that she was not surprised at all by this result.

In her opinion, the main reason is that Nordic countries have social welfare guarantees, and the epidemic has not caused much uncertainty; at the same time, because the epidemic has led to working from home, more personal time is available, which is conducive to increasing the fertility rate.

There are not enough hospital beds. After the "baby boom" in the second quarter of 2021, Iceland has been working hard to expand the number of obstetric beds.

In fact, as early as December 2020, Icelandic hospitals first noticed a sharp increase in the number of women coming for prenatal check-ups.

Thomsen Hreiarsdóttir is the chief midwife at Landspítali, the largest hospital in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. 70% of the country's babies are born in this hospital.

She said: "We thought it would only be a matter of a few months, and the number should come down in a few months." However, what happened next was beyond her expectation.

By the summer of 2021, a large number of babies were born and there was a serious shortage of medical staff.

Iceland had to recruit midwives from Germany, Poland, and even as far away as Australia, but the manpower was still insufficient. In the end, it had to recall midwives who were retired or even in their 70s for emergency response.

However, several times a month, due to a serious shortage of obstetrical beds, doctors can only push women in urgent need of delivery to the emergency room for delivery.

Hrejdalsdóttir estimates based on the number of prenatal checkups that Iceland's fertility rate will increase by approximately 9% throughout 2021.

For Heredarsdóttir personally, this means greater pressure. On the one hand, there is a shortage of midwives, and at the same time, epidemic prevention and control factors need to be considered.

In short, in her words, "what's happening now is unbelievable."

The short-term impact of the "baby boom" on Iceland was quickly apparent.

A mother struggled to find day care for her 1-year-old child. She searched 28 nurseries before finding a space.

Regarding how to solve the problem in kindergartens in the future, she said: "I don't know, but I think this is a problem that all children will face." A similar situation is also happening in Finland.

Kubotka, a researcher at the Institute of Demography in Vienna, Austria, said: "Since the beginning of the epidemic, Finland's fertility rate has continued to grow." He believes that Finland's relatively relaxed lockdown measures during the epidemic may be a reason for the increase in fertility.

Does welfare promote fertility?

Ms. Zhang told the China Business News reporter that having a baby is a long-term plan, and the epidemic has not increased the uncertainty much for the Nordic people. On the contrary, it has also enhanced some protections that are not usually available.

Before Norway announced a phased reopening of its borders in September 2021, the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 every day stabilized at around a few hundred, which was basically controllable.

Although the number of confirmed cases has increased significantly after the borders were reopened, as of now, 73.9% of Norway's population has completed the full course of vaccination, and the impact of the epidemic is still within the allowable range.

Ms. Zhang said that unlike other European countries, the Nordic people as a whole are highly cooperative with government decision-making, which also facilitates epidemic control.

Ms. Zhang told reporters that the Norwegian people were mainly worried about the epidemic in the early stages of the epidemic. Later, the Norwegian government came up with a subsidy plan to 100% subsidize ordinary people's income losses caused by the epidemic. The previous unemployment insurance could only cover the original 80

% of income.

Therefore, the epidemic has not changed much the economic situation of ordinary people.

"Everyone has become accustomed to government benefits and are not worried about the future. This provides a basic guarantee for the increase in fertility rates.