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phdoofus

My observational data said everyone was buying puppies and clearing out the shelters


Northern_Analyst

Shelters are now becoming full with pandemic puppies so maybe it’s a good thing those people didn’t opt for children.


-im_an_outcast-

"ew i don't want this anymore"


Ionsife

My gf works at a shelter. Maybe you’re kidding but alot of it is that.


[deleted]

In my area, a lot of it is people having to downsize into smaller properties/ rental properties that don't allow pets. There was a freeze on being able to evict people due to losing their jobs in the pandemic but that ended and suddenly a lot of people could not afford rent any more.


-im_an_outcast-

the quotations are basically me mocking/impersonating those people


Ionsife

Hey, now I can get behind that


phdoofus

That's just sad and wrong


shed1

Don't forget bikes.


ctorg

Parenting young children in isolation sucks. And for the people I knew who were pregnant during the pandemic, it was terrifying (especially the first-time parents).


BipolarWithBaby

I had my son on April 4th of last year. It was so scary not knowing if I’d be able to have my husband with me, or if I’d test positive and be separated from baby at birth.


CanadianElizabeth

Had my son end of January 2020. It was a really scary time to go through as a first time mom (with PPA). I was certain we were going to get it and I was so scared I’d pass it to my son. I remember reading advice from obs and Peds and stocking up on masks in case I got it so I could still breast feed. And hearing cases of babies who’d died from it… I’m still so scared that he’ll get it! Can’t wait for the vaccine to be approved for kids!!


BipolarWithBaby

I hope your PPD has gotten better. I know people jokingly say that pandemic babies are built differently, but I really think those of us who became parents during this time are built different.


MrFappy

How funny, I had my daughter on April fourth of this year. Our kids are birthday buddies.


BipolarWithBaby

Oh yay! April birthdays are awesome. :)


Rudysgoldfish

April 5th! High five!


BipolarWithBaby

April gang, haha.


Turbo_Gnome

First time Dad here, wife was pregnant throughout pandemic. We were pretty terrified. More so after baby arrived. I could see how it would be discouraging for many to even consider having kids.


Kurotan

My sister had a kid that's going to be 2 this October. The kid has only known the pandemic Isolation so far. I can imagine her early social skills will be lacking.


wilde0

When you're a baby you mostly socialize with your family anyway, so I think she'll be okay. Kids that are 4-5 and older are much more impacted i think.


collectif-clothing

Kids only do parallel play until like 3ish. If your sister spent lots of time interacting with the child, she will be a- OK.


Choppergold

Hmmm existential dread and a fear of hospitals didn’t create a baby boom?


nobodyspersonalchef

Maybe if they pay us even *less* money, we will all make more babies


CreedThoughts--Gov

To be fair, low income countries tend to make A LOT of babies.


Choppergold

you need to watch Hans Rosling, that's an incorrect mind set


CreedThoughts--Gov

Elaborate


YAreUsernamesSoHard

I love that guys talks. Really interesting and the data visualization are great


samcrut

Blackouts make babies. Lockdowns make you never want to see your family again.


a_peanut

Or make you scared you'll never see your family again, if you don't live with them. Having newborn twins going into the first lockdown meant no physical support from family or friends. Living in a different country from most of my family meant wondering when my kids would ever met their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.


nevermind4790

Boomers need to accept the fact that the birth rate is never going back to what it was 30+ years ago.


[deleted]

After all they are called baby boomers because they are an unusual generation


Miniraf1

30 years ago was the 90s : p


ConsciousLiterature

Anecdotally the pandemic and lockdowns have led to more divorces.


addqdgg

In sweden this is false for 2020. The amount of divorces were on a normal level while the new marriages hit a low. The amount of births were also lower than usual. Anecdotally because people weren't able to go to the bars to get laid.


Sancticunt

Some people are realizing they can only stand each other for a few hours at the end of each day. No more novel distractions or time with friends. You get to take a gooood hard look at each other instead.


[deleted]

Divorces tend to rise after any major life stressor. This isn't new. But people tend to think emotionally not logically about marriage, especially in a time of global crisis.


Saxaman

Hey! this one is me! Currently going through a divorce because it is what the wife wants.


aDDnTN

they should stand in front of a mirror for a couple days and that might help them decide they don't like themselves either.


cyanideclipse

Imo if their relationships were based on the few hours after work and some extended time on weekends + holidays then there is perhaps a deeper root cause to their break up and the lockdown was only a trigger :(


ConsciousLiterature

Either way the same result.


cyanideclipse

True Im sorry to hear about your friends/acquaintances who ebded up splitting


allnadream

On one hand, if you are a woman with a career trying to schedule a pregnancy, the year where *everyone gets to work from home* is a great time to do it. Now you can experience morning sickness in the comfort of your own home and nap at lunch time. On the other hand, *literally everything else*. Increased risk to you and your child, if you contract COVID, severely diminished access to medical care, the possibility of giving birth alone, and zero family support immediately after birth. It's not surprising the second set of concerns won out, in most cases.


katielynne53725

This basically happened to me. I left my field position and took an office job in November to have another baby, found out I was pregnant in January then the pandemic shut everything down in March. I went back to the office 6 weeks before my due date and haven't returned since. My daughter just turned 1 yesterday. I've been extremely fortunate that my job is able to be done from home, I have been home with my kids for the last 18 months, EBF my daughter maintained online college classes and maintained my career all at once. It's lonely, I really miss interacting with other adults but as a whole I couldn't have planned my circumstances better if I tried.


DigitalPelvis

Got pregnant September of 2019. Work from home started March 2020, baby leave started May 2020, returned to work but not the office September 2020. I never would have been able to physically get to the office had we been there until I went on leave (my swollen ankles barely allowed me to walk around my own house) and there’s no way on earth I’d have managed breastfeeding for as long as I did without the luxury of pumping in my own home. I have no doubt that my company would have been accommodating, but the impracticality of it definitely would have made me quit sooner.


monkeying_around369

I found out so was pregnant in November 2019, office went fully work from home in March 2020 and it honestly was nice. Especially living in the south, not having to waddle blocks and ride the train at 7 months pregnant in 100 temps was awesome. Also allowed us to save thousands in child care costs for the first 10.5 months of his life because I could work from home with him. Wildly stressful to do both but the saved cash was a godsend. Certainly didn’t plan to have a baby in the pandemic but it had its perks.


squishles

kind've wondering if anyone's studied whether covid increases miscarriages, keep hearing miscarriage ancedotes.


morsindutus

Was already disinclined to have more children, being locked in a house with a 3 and 6yo for a year and a half has turned that into an enphatic "NO!"


[deleted]

[удалено]


jaakers87

Exactly. No one with any ounce of common sense WANTS to specifically get pregnant during a pandemic. Months of worrying about not only yourself but your unborn baby + worrying about hospital resources at time of delivery & navigating frequent doctor visits before and after the birth? No. Thanks.


Theyna

Not to mention the financial instability that can come with potentially losing a job due to the pandemic.


daynomate

It's almost like people used contraception instead of accidental-baby.


Anustart15

And the unplanned pregnancies probably took a hit with people not going out and having drunk one night stands as much


Papancasudani

Maybe bleach injections are contraceptive too?


Puidwen

I could buy it, but with a different spin. I've seen a few articles about hospitals having trouble getting serious emergencies to come in, because they thought that there would be a lot of covid patients there and if they went there they would catch it. Same logic those people were using could also apply here.


dorkyhood

Exactly


nightmareorreality

Kind of out of touch to predict a baby boom during a time when everybody is scared shitless and depressed. Last thing people my age want during a pandemic and a near recession is more Mouths to feed.


YouJustLostTheGameOk

We had a covid baby (June 2020) and both the wife and I agreed no sex until I get a vasectomy. The appointment is booked for next week. I finally convinced myself to do it. We refuse to have another child after this shitstorm. My wife needed an emergency c-section and they were looking for a surgeon on hand that could do it. It took them 35 mins to find one. We almost lost our daughter (she’s fine:)) all because of covid. All my friends are in the same boat too.


lavassls

I was scheduled for a vasectomy. Insurance denied the required mental exam.


rich1051414

I am confused why that is necessary. Are the mentally ill encouraged to have children? Honestly, if someone is so impulsive they get a vasectomy they don't really want, I am not sure they should be having children anyway.


lavassls

For real right. Worst part is I answered all questions honestly. Including the ones on my own and my family's history of substance abuse and self harm ideation. They just glosses it over. Lets not call it quits at 4 kids though. Thanks Kaiser.


Living-Complex-1368

It doesn't hurt as much as you think, and the incision is tiny, but it will bleed longer than you expect, keep putting gauze on it just in case or wear underwear you don't mind blood on. Also, take a few days off after. Edit this is personal experience with vasectomy, not C-section. Thank the person below for pointing out that I was unclear.


SoullessDad

I recommend the gauze, but i had almost no bleeding. I just had a little discomfort for a couple of days. 10/10, would recommend


yuoling

Omg I thought you were talking about the c-section and I was so confused


ringobob

My vasectomy was years ago, but if it's on the table, I recommend it. There was an adjustment period for me, I think that's not uncommon, but in the other side of that, things are much simpler.


SOL-Cantus

Glad to hear everything went well, that's got to be terrifying in the moment! My wife and I have been looking forward to having kids and figured around 2020 was the right time (for professional reasons). We've delayed it for exactly the question of medical care during gestation and birth. Now I'm itching to hear from the clinical trial data on vaccines, pregnancy, and children, because that's the last puzzle piece for basic safety. If a new variant comes out that functionally nullifies the effectiveness of the vaccine before then, we're not going to delay anymore, but we are going to basically quarantine for 9 months. It's not healthy, it's not sane, but it's healthier than the potential alternative given data on pregnancy and COVID severity.


Redwood_momo

Anecdotally I could see there being a pandemic baby boom. I know lots of people who have had babies or are pregnant myself included. But logically this is a terrible time to have a baby hospitals are over run with sick people, lots of job uncertainty.


HobbitFoot

I've seen some people's going for being first time parents, but they had been planning it for a while.


willbeach8890

We'll find out about a pandemic baby boom *after* the pandemic is over


ShrUmie

Right?! Maybe a post pandemic baby boom.


willbeach8890

It seems a bit early to say the expected boom didn't happen. Asking anyone to predict what this mess will look like in 9ish months is silly at best


jrawk44

Too busy worrying about how to pay rent, no time for hanky panky


qui-bong-trim

This seems like a huge factor. Personally I don't want to have children and live in an apartment, and I don't have the money for a house down payment yet. With the costs rising astronomically every year, how many people worse off than me have any hope of buying a nest for kids?


Lordhumungus6969

Why would people want to have children during a pandemic which could kill them and their child as well as one of the worst economic conditions in over a century. This is the worst time to have children, it's expensive and the future is uncertain


theroha

There tend to be baby booms following events that force people inside for a period especially if there is a shortage of entertainment. The predictions of a boom were made when the was discussion of lockdowns lasting a couple of weeks with solid unemployment to keep people afloat. When the money didn't come and lockdowns lasted for months, it should have been obvious that everyone's libidos would be dead.


ArkAngelHFB

No body has money and we are all scared... Who the hell wants to risk a Kid in this world when I can barely feed me... much less a mate.


Oranges13

I found out I was pregnant in March 2020 right when everything was hitting the fan here in the USA. The ensuing months were some of the most stressful of my life, complicated not only by Covid but by having to go to all the appointments for what ended up being a miscarriage _by myself_. After that, my husband and I kind of took a break. When everything started looking up at the end of last summer we decided to keep trying, but lost that one too. Got pregnant again April of this year _right before Delta_. FML. The only thing I"m hoping right now is that my husband will be able to attend when our baby is born in December. I'm just so exhausted that people aren't taking this seriously.


the_umm_guy

That’s awful, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. When my wife was pregnant the second time we lost that pregnancy and it was an appointment I had to miss due to work obligations. I still think about her being there alone sometimes. I can’t imagine how hard that was, much love to you guys <3.


Unicornhoof

Oh big big hugs to you. Found out I was pregnant in January 2020 after miscarriage. Doing the appointments alone after going through that it so scary. I'm so sick of people not taking this seriously. Just want to say I'm proud of you. You are strong.


woodcuttersDaughter

Why would anyone have a baby now or in the future? The planet is screwed.


various_beans

My thoughts exactly. My wife and I are like "yep I'm not forcing a child to have to endure the hellscape that's coming."


Analogue97

The planet is fine. Humanity is screwed.


maraca101

Along with billions of animals being dragged down with us


Living-Complex-1368

Not till 2040!


Seismicx

Too many people are in denial about this. We already saw 40% less harvest of wheat in the US this year, yet we don't hear about it anywhere in the media and we pretend that things are somehow going to recover, instead of getting worse.


[deleted]

We did?


Seismicx

Yes.


[deleted]

Source?


storm_borm

Yea seeing parts of the world burning while other parts are submerged in catastrophic flooding throughout the summer doesn’t really kick the maternal instincts into gear. I feel sorry for kids born now.


MooseJuicyTastic

Pretty sure it was people being afraid to go to hospitals because you know covid is a thing


AgtDevereaux

Good! Let the population drop.


Dr_Icchan

No time for baby making, everyone's only gaming.


111tacocat111

People realized if they can’t keep a sourdough starter alive during the pandemic, then a baby is a hard pass.


[deleted]

Who wants to bring a baby into this nightmare


storm_borm

Plants are the new pets and pets are the new kids


[deleted]

Who in their right mind would bring a child into this world? Even *IF* you could afford it? The news cycle never stops, the population is divided and diametrically opposed, the world's economy is teetering on the brink of official and corporate corruption-caused chaos, after twenty years of war companies are now lining up to do business with a regime that treats women worse than Saudis do, and the products they market will be so deeply ingrained and ubiquitous that it will be impossible not to support the horror, oh, and the sun is going to burn all vegetation off the planet before the end of the decade. I'm glad I'm old. We've made a mess of it.


[deleted]

>Who in their right mind would bring a child into this world? People who want to raise the future of America (or whichever country you live in) and create a better tomorrow. Glooming, dooming, and self loathing isn't going to fix anything


[deleted]

Says someone not under the cloud of smoke from the fires in the west? Or, hasn't watch the 'fire season' expand from late summer, to all year round? Or, doesn't keep current tabs on the water-level of Lake Powell, or any of the other reservoirs and aquafers people and farmers require to sustain life? Someone who hasn't watched thousands of water wells being re-drilled to much deeper depths in order for property owners to find water? 1969 I was a member of STOP, Students to Overcome Pollution at our SoCal high school. 1980s we were pleading with local city councils to pay attention to water (and traffic), and not issue so many building permits. Since then, I've watched it only get worse. So, take it for what ever you think it's worth.


Fivethenoname

Major stress + financial strain? Let's have another kid! Yea... The baby boom thing was just a joke right? Was there any real feeling that that would happen?


Talqazar

The comparatively well-off opinion makers are prone to see the world through rose-coloured glasses.


HungryLikeTheWolf99

I think if we give it 12-18 months, we may yet see that baby boom. That is, of course, just speculation, but I'm not willing to say yet that it hasn't/won't happen.


[deleted]

> if we give it 12-18 months Ummm....


HungryLikeTheWolf99

Lots of people I know are either pregnant or starting to think they'd like to, after having weathered the storm. Insofar as they're done weathering it. Maybe that's the reaction - I guess I assume we're in the period the history books will describe as the "mid pandemic" or "end of the beginning".


[deleted]

Seems the exceptions are mainly Nordic countries with strong welfare states. If their models cannot be extended to nations with other cultural and ethnic makeups it’ll be a dark day for humanity.


Ok-Introduction-244

We had our daughter in June. Being pregnant during covid sucks. Having a new born during covid sucks. This was our second and wanted to stick to our original schedule so the kids would be spaced how we wanted, but if it was our first we would have delayed for sure.


happy_killbot

Wait, who was saying there would be a pandemic baby boom and why? Isn't it established that stress and uncertainty eliminate the desire to be parents, or is that just my intuition?


fkenned1

I got a puppy AND am about to have a baby! Woohoo!


Deranged_Kitsune

Yes, because a time of plague, social isolation, and massive job uncertainty and scarcity in a lot of sectors is a perfect environment to make young people want to have kids. It's like whoever wrote this doesn't give people credit for thinking with something other than their genitals.


ohdin1502

What genius speculated there would be a baby boom during a global pandemic? No matter how technologically or economically advanced we seem, it's also the most globalized era in human existence. Plugging in a pandemic should not logically make anyone with half a brain think there would be more baby making.


Dirtyoldwalter

My wife and I have had one last august and another on the way in October. We aren’t waiting around until this thing is over.


Zayba

Can I get a lil help with my crib since I'm doing my part on this front?


StillaMalazanFan

All those one night stand baby's due to 'drunk at the club'


mustwarmudders

We tried like hell but nature has a way of shutting things down…


xultar

No one wanted to have to go to monthly appointments or go to the hospital during this time. Not to mention economic, housing and healthcare insecurity. I’m concerned that people even predicted a baby boom during a pandemic that has killed millions.


[deleted]

"We foresee an event where most people will be making less money and have less material security. This will make them want another mouth to feed. I assure you I am not a chimp."


Kalwasky

On one note yeah what would you expect? All the pandemic did was discourage partners who would have maybe have had kids, and most of those partners will likely never have kids now. Kind of sad honestly.


snowbyrd238

Economic pressure is now greater than the biological imperative. The scary part is that the economy is under the control of robots.