There is a baby boom on the New Jersey Shore nine months after Superstorm Sandy, according to local hospital officials.
Dr. Robert Graebe at the Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch told
Fox 5 News, "We think this would be one of the biggest jumps that we'll see."
Compared to last July, the neo-natal unit has seen about a 30 percent jump in the number of births. "This month, we anticipate going from about 370 deliveries to about 500 deliveries," said Graebe.
Local couple Nick and Alissa Berse told Fox 5 that just before the storm hit they left their apartment at the shore and headed inland to a hotel.
"We didn’t think the power would go out in the hotel, so we had all the preparations just to hang out and have fun," said Nick. "Once the power went out, one thing led to another and a couple of bottles of wine later, it just happened."
Less than nine months later, on July 10, baby Madison was born weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces.
"She's just been a blessing to us," said Nick.
Christopher and Robin McCann are also counting their blessings. They are the proud parents of Sage Lawrence McCann, born earlier this month.
"We didn’t have power for over two weeks, so we were hunkered down and enjoyed ourselves as much as possible," said Christopher.
According to the Asbury Park Press Hospital Review, Monmouth Medical Center isn’t the only hospital in the area that has seen a spike in births. Hospitals in Neptune and Brick also saw an increase.
"When there are sustained power outages, where people are used to electricity, you can get anywhere from a 20 to 30 percent bump," said Graebe.
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