Anita Devi caresses her baby girl at Seva Sadan Nursing Home at Lake Road in Upper Bazar, Ranchi, on Friday, while Wazda Tabassum and Renu Singh with their newborns, both girls, at Krishna Nursing Home in Lalpur. Pictures by Prashant Mitra

Expectant mothers in the capital swamp gynaecologists with requests for C-section on 11/11/11

Bundles of joy made to arrive on ‘date of century’

Anita Devi caresses her baby girl at Seva Sadan Nursing Home at Lake Road in Upper Bazar, Ranchi, on Friday, while Wazda Tabassum and Renu Singh with their newborns, both girls, at Krishna Nursing Home in Lalpur. Pictures by Prashant Mitra

Baby Bachchan may not have arrived on 11/11/11 despite media hype and bookie hopes, but many Ranchi couples had a date with destiny as they became parents on the Friday of the century.

Wazda Tabassum (31), who after “lots of requests, managed to reschedule her delivery date today”, was elated to give birth to her second daughter on 11/11/11. “Number 2 is lucky for us,” she said, explaining 1 plus 1 made 2.

First-time mother Renu Singh (29) got her C-section preponed by four days.

“A child is god’s gift, but god sometimes chooses special days,” Anita Devi (35), who delivered a healthy baby girl at 3am at Seva Sadan, Upper Bazar, said.

Most mothers gave birth to girls — two at Seva Sadan, three at Krishna Nursing Home, one each at Baba Hospital, Sukhdev Nagar and Bariatu Nursing Home. There was an unrealistic craze for C-sections at 11am sharp, but doctors said no.

“I was bombarded with requests for deliveries today but could manage three,” gynaecologist Usha Rani said. “The fascination for 11/11/11 is due to media hype,” added gynaecologist Karuna Shahdeo.