Spontaneous human birth: Day of the week and season of delivery

In 1999, the National Vital Statistics reports indicated that the most common day to give birth was on Tuesdays. In addition, studies of birth certificates from 1989 to 1997 revealed that births were more common on the weekdays than on weekends (Curtin & Park, 1999). National Vital Statistics reports examine and include all births whether induction, scheduled cesarean section, or natural onset of labor. The only way to test the validity of the national statisticians’ proposition that providers, through induction or Cesarean section, influence the day of the week of birth is to measure distribution of the births in women who experience natural onset of labor with no medical intervention. The findings of this study indicated that there is no pattern of the day of week of birth of pregnant women experiencing natural onset of labor with no medical intervention. There is, however, an identifiable pattern regarding the onset of labor and the season of birth. Therefore, National Vital Statistics data are not indicative of the birth rate in women with natural onset of labor and no medical intervention.