If you were thinking all the coronavirus fears were overblown last week, chances are the last few days have scared you straight. (Like, calling-your-therapist–ASAP straight.) On Wednesday, the WHO labeled the outbreak a pandemic, President Trump has since declared a national emergency, and experts are urging the public to practice social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. In the process, many Americans are preparing to retreat inside their homes for the next few weeks or even months, and the implications of what this could mean for the nation's economy, society, and even mental health remains to be seen. But there is one theory that's emerged in the last few days about what these next few weeks of social distancing could produce: babies. Lots and lots of 'em.
When you think about it, it kinda makes sense ...
Most of us will be hunkered down inside, working from home if we can and avoiding things like going to the movies, meeting friends at bars, or even out to eat for a date night.
At least, we won't be doing these things quite to the degree we were just a few days ago.
And what do people do when they're home for hours on end and start to get bored?
… Sex. They have sex.
At least, that's what people on the interwebs are saying, as talk of a potential coronavirus quarantine has spawned theories about a potential baby boom.
To be fair, it wouldn't be the first time this topic has come up.
After all, it's why we coined the term "blizzard babies" after baby booms that mysteriously followed large snowfalls or particularly cold winters (nine months later, of course).
Right?
Well, according to one expert, who spoke with Romper, the jury is still kind of out on that one.
“There are certainly tons of anecdotal reports of increased fecundity or fertility after events forcing people to stay at home," Dr. Michael Cackovic, a maternal-fetal medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told the website. "Scientific reports, however, have been mixed in an effort to confirm the phenomenon."
They certainly have.
Nine months after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, several New Jersey hospitals reported a double-digit increase in births.
"At the time, hospital officials attributed the bump in births to the number of Jersey Shore couples who were trapped at home during the storm and its aftermath," NJ.com reported.
Other baby booms have allegedly followed 9/11, Super Bowl Sundays, the federal government shutdown, and even mass blackouts.
But the data on that is iffy, at best.
Most notably, Snopes debunked the 9/11 baby boom myth, claiming that the "belief was widely seized upon in post-9/11 America, and many medical facilities made ready for the impending assault on maternity wards nationwide."
But if hospitals braced themselves for an onslaught of babies nine months later, it never came to fruition.
A 2007 study by a Brigham Young University assistant professor actually found that the baby boom theory might depend on the severity of the event.
"The findings were interesting," said Richard Evans, an assistant professor at Brigham Young University in Utah and the study's lead author. "If the lights and the T.V. are out, it kind of sets the table for romance … But, if you're running for your life, you can't make babies."
By that logic, it's hard to say if the next few weeks or months will really be "setting the table for romance" — particularly because the coronavirus outbreak is anticipated to lead to a lot of financial strain and, presumably, emotional stress.
In the end, only time will tell.
Of course, you've probably got a LOT of shows clogging up your Netflix queue, too.
In the midst of your corona-induced panic this spring, you and your partner might find yourselves more into the idea of binge-watching The Good Place for a nice laugh than making whoopie all day long.
Or maybe you're sick of everyone sharing Schitts Creek memes on Instagram and having zero idea what they mean.
Well, now's the time, my friend. Now's the time.
(Of course, if you want to sneak in some sex in between all that Schitt's Creek viewing, be my guest. There's gotta be a silver lining at the end of all of this!)
