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Monsoon brings rain, wind and babies?

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Posted 2:00 AM 7/30/2012 : Monsoon brings rain, wind and babies?

Summer storms bring plenty of rain and wind to Tucson but do they also bring babies?
Some doctors say the drop in barometric pressure can actually trigger labor, and bring so-called "Monsoon Babies" into the world earlier than expected.
This usually affects women close to their due date, anywhere from 36 to 38 weeks along. The theory is controversial but doctors at Saint Joseph's Hospital say they can see a spike in deliveries when those storms roll through.
"I was actually told when monsoon started, by a lot of women, that 'oh, you're going to have the baby because it's storming,'" said Daisyree Berg.
Call it coincidence or science, either way Berg followed through when she went into labor with her third child, Illiana, July 15. One week before her due date.
"I look out the window and there's huge lightning and just pouring down rain and it stayed like that all night long," said Berg.
You will hear similar stories in the labor and delivery ward at Saint Joseph's Hospital.
"When it rains it pours, and sometimes we see a lot more patients coming in for delivery and we have to be prepared for that," said Dr. Zohreh Kazemi-Dunn.
News 4 Tucson's Chief Meteorologist Rob Guarino explained the science behind the theory.
"The pressure will drop very quickly in a storm, that allows the gravitational pull to pull down, so the baby may come down quicker and sooner than it would be on it's labor date," he said.
However hard evidence is tough to find. Researchers from around the world have studied the possible link for decades. Some find the two are connected, others say they are not. Still moms like Daisyree are drawing their own conclusions.
"I don't know I mean she was born right as one of the biggest storms came through, and so I think it might, yeah," Berg said.

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