Millennium baby panic is not set to reach fever pitch in York as the figures for mums due to deliver over the Christmas and New Year period are DOWN by more than a quarter.

Margaret Jackson, head of midwifery at York District Hospital, with Samantha Gillbanks and two-day-old baby daughter Hope

There were fears that health services could be overloaded if women tried to conceive at the end of March to be in with a chance of having the first baby of the next Millennium.

But expected deliveries at York District Hospital are 25 per cent down for December and more than 30 per cent down for January, compared with the same period last year.

Margaret Jackson, head of midwifery at York District Hospital, said: "We don't appear to have a Millennium baby boom situation on our hands. The delivery bookings for the four weeks of December and indeed for January are actually lower than last year."

In 1998 236 babies were delivered in December and 239 in January, this year 178 delivery bookings have been made for December and 163 for January.

Mrs Jackson said: "Obviously we are still making special plans to deal with deliveries over the Millennium period."

The maternity unit at the hospital will be equipped with an extra intensive care bed during December and January, in case ambulances are too busy to transfer sick babies to another hospital.

And in line with other services, staff have not been allowed to book annual leave over the two-week Christmas and New Year period, until a more accurate demand gauge can be made.

Mrs Jackson, said: "It will be exciting for anyone delivering a Millennium baby, but nature will have its way. All babies born over the Millennium will receive some kind of small gift as a special remembrance of the occasion.

"I think people have not thought of the Millennium fame as being an important issue as to when they have a baby.."

That view was echoed by one North Yorkshire mum-to-be making plans of her own as she and her husband prepare to see in the New Millennium with a new baby.

Sharon and David Quantrell are expecting their first child at the end of this year or the start of next year.

Expectant mum Sharon said: "We don't know exactly when our baby will arrive, I'm sure it'll come when it's ready, Millennium fame or not.

"We didn't specially plan to have our baby on this momentous occasion, we had only just started trying for a family and I didn't expect to get pregnant so quickly.

"I'm not too bothered about having my baby over the Millennium period, I certainly wouldn't want a tag attached to it. As long as it's healthy I don't mind."

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