Bhubaneswar, Dec. 31: Several expecting parents here appear to have been bitten by the New Year bug - they want their babies to be born on the first day of 2016.
Around 50 mothers are battling labour pain in various hospitals of the city waiting for 2015 to end.
Some, like Binodini Jena, stenographer to the judicial magistrate of Balasore, have opted for a Caesarean section to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
"The necessary tests have already been done and now the operation has to take place. Having a child on New Year's will be exciting," said Binodini, who had a love marriage in 2012.
"This is going to be our second baby and it does not matter if it's a boy or a girl."
Jena's husband, Ashish Sethi, 36, said: "The coming year will be memorable for me. A month ago, we never thought we would have the baby on the New Year's day. But this is actually happening!"
Nearly 30 expecting mothers are waiting for delivery at Capital Hospital, the premier government-run hospital in Bhubaneswar.
However, for one of them, the plan went awry because of intense labour pain.
"We had planned for a New Year day delivery. But as my wife's labour pain became unbearable, the baby had to be delivered. But we will take the baby home tomorrow," Madhu Sudan Sahu, 28.
The father of Sarmistha Adhya, another expecting mother, was so tense he fended off queries.
"Please don't ask any questions. This is not the right time. Let my daughter have her baby delivered. Then, we can talk," he said.
Astrologer Himanshu Sekhar Acharya said: "Numerologically, the number 2016 comes on the Mars side. Those born on the first day of the year will be financially strong and will have a religious bent of mind. Many of them will take up research-related activities."
Many clinics in the city have also decided to welcome babies born tomorrow by distributing sweets.
"Generally, family members distribute sweets after a baby is born. But here, we have decided to celebrate with sweets. It will be a joint celebration of the New Year and the birth of new babies on the day," said Srimati Sahu, a nursing assistant attached to city clinic. She admitted to a rush for admission of expecting mothers into hospitals and clinics.
"Many of them have opted for caesarean section deliveries tomorrow. This is a big responsibility on our shoulders," she added.
Gynaecologist Seba Mohapatra said: "Being a doctor, my duty is to ensure that the child born is healthy and fine, irrespective of whether it is a normal delivery or a Caesarean section."
