Compulsive gamblers will tell you that to win a baby pool, always pick the date of the full moon closest to the actual due date. It's common knowledge that more babies are born on the full moon, right? Even nurses and doctors in labor and delivery will tell you that. So is there any truth to this ancient belief, or is it just a medical myth? A quick search reveals the answer: there is no correlation between lunar phase and birthrate.There are two questions that immediately arise. The first is why is this belief still held, including by many well educated people, in the face of a large body of evidence to the contrary? Obviously cultural reinforcement plays a large role - the myth continues to be repeated as fact. The second is where did the belief come from in the first place? Is it some leftover animal instinct where it was easier to deliver and/or protect newborns by the light of the full moon? Is it some cultural remnant from days when we worshiped celestial events like full moons and solar eclipses; some long, lost supersition? Is it simple recall or confirmation bias among mothers and hospital staff? Who knows.
The bottom line is that the full moon has little effect on birth rates, hospital emergencies, stock market prices and (despite the root of the word) lunacy. Unless, of course, you're a werewolf.
We'll test this theory this weekend I guess.
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