Stormy romance brings Florida baby boom

MIAMI - Nine months after the first of three hurricanes crisscrossed central Florida and stranded residents in their darkened homes, hospitals throughout the region are reporting a baby boom, the Orlando Sentinel said on Tuesday.

Halifax Medical Centre in Daytona Beach has seen 25 per cent more deliveries than a year ago and pregnant women flocking to childbirth classes there all tell the same story.

"There was no electricity, they were spending a lot of time at home, there were candles and -- I'll leave the rest up to you," Halifax spokeswoman Kate Holcomb told the newspaper.

Some women said hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne and their aftermath made it difficult for them to reach their pharmacies for birth-control pills.

Florida Hospital, one of the region's largest hospital groups, has seen a 26 per cent increase in births at its Winter Park Memorial since May 20 compared with the same period last year and an 18 per cent spike at its downtown Orlando campus.

"We've got our catcher's mitts on," said Jan Wagner, a registered nurse in Halifax's labor and delivery department.

- REUTERS