The Labor Days of September

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Due in September? When it's time to check in at the hospital, be prepared for some company.

The Scoop

According to birth data that ranks the number of babies born in the US on a particular calendar date, September rules, with 10 out of the top 10 most common birth dates falling during this autumn month. More babies are born on September 16 than any other day of the year, followed close behind by September 9, 23, 17, 22, 24, 21, 15, 10, and 18.

Unpopular birthdays? The data collected by Harvard researchers, based on births in the US between 1973 and 1999, shows February 29 as the least common birth date (no surprise there), followed by December 25, January 1, December 24, January 2, July 4, December 26, and November 28, 27, and 26.

Your Baby

If you're sensing a pattern here, you're not alone. As UK's Daily Mail points out, birth dates in September fall roughly nine months after the holiday season, which seems to confirm suspicions that more people are in the mood during this festive time of year.

And what about the lack of babies being born on key US holidays? Some suspect that light hospital staff over holiday dates like New Year's Eve, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July, means fewer women are scheduled for induced births or planned C-sections.