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Baby boom or bust? How the pandemic has changed pregnancy and birthrates.

Did stay-at-home orders reduce pregnant women’s smoking, driving, infections, shift and physical work? Or did restrictions lead to improvements in women’s nutrition, hygiene, exercise, family support?

A pregnant woman wearing a face mask and gloves holds her belly as she waits in line for groceries from a food pantry in Waltham, Mass., last year. New data show that pandemic stay-at-home orders led to a decline in the birth rate, contrary to original predictions.
A pregnant woman wearing a face mask and gloves holds her belly as she waits in line for groceries from a food pantry in Waltham, Mass., last year. New data show that pandemic stay-at-home orders led to a decline in the birth rate, contrary to original predictions.Read moreCharles Krupa / AP