A pandemic "baby boom"?

Who would have guessed such a thing was possible? 

A friend's daughter has just given birth to her first child. Unfortunately it is not the joyous occasion that it should be. This is a "pandemic" baby. 

The baby was not planned. The two young people involved are not married. The boy has fled the scene and they have no idea where to find him. 

Right now the girl could do with his support. The baby may or may not survive. Her mother was in tears yesterday and I tried my best to be the "listening ear". I don't know if I was much help really. The situation is awful. I can try to empathise as well as sympathise but I am not a mother and I probably failed miserably.

It was a timely encounter because there is a piece in this morning's paper about the pandemic "baby boom". I wondered whether it might happen about nine months ago. The Senior Cat and I discussed the possibility. Middle Cat and I also discussed it. Friends mentioned the possibility. Nobody should be surprised at the sudden and quite dramatic rise in the birth rate. People could not go out. They were not going to the doctor to "take precautions". 

The figures apparently show about a forty percent increase in the births registered last December. Yes, that is about nine months from that lock down last March! Not all these children have been planned but I hope they will be loved.

And there is the not so small matter of other planning. There will be a "bump" of children needing all the things children need. Not the least of those will be things like day-care, preschool and then school facilities and teachers.

I am worried for my friend's daughter. If her baby survives he is going to need long term care. She will need support and he will need services that might not be there. 

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I wanted to know. It was not an idle question. 

She shook her head but then said, "Actually yes - could you make her one of those little lavender bags you gave Mum - to help her sleep?"

I knitted it last night. It's tiny. There is just enough lavender left from our garden from last year.  I knew it was there for a reason.