Kim Choe
It is nearly the beginning of a new year in the Chinese calendar, and superstitious Chinese all over the world are getting clucky.
They want their babies to be born in the upcoming year of the dragon - and some are prepared to go to great lengths to make sure it happens.
One such person hoping for a dragon baby is Bevan Chuang and the 30-year-old only has three months left to get pregnant, to make sure her child's born in the Chinese year of the dragon.
“A dragon is seen as a sign of an emperor or leader, and a lot of great men were born in the year of the dragon. It’s a very auspicious thing,” says Ms Chuang.
The dragon is the most highly favoured of the 12 zodiac animals – it is the mythical ancestor of the Chinese people and those born in a dragon year are said to be ambitious and successful.
Ms Chuang does not have a partner, but is so keen to have a dragon baby that she is considering getting a sperm donor.
One fertility group says there's nothing unusual about Ms Chuang's plans to get pregnant.
“There are some people who say, ‘I want to have a baby in this very defined time’ so that’s something we deal with in a daily basis. If people want to have babies in the year of the dragon then yes, it’s all good,” says Dr Mary Birdsall, Fertility Associates Medical Director.
Chinese media are reporting that a baby boom is expected in the coming year and it is not unheard of for parents to induce labour or book caesareans to have their babies on auspicious dates.
“No matter which culture you’re from, you always want the best for the children. It’s just how you do it – the Chinese way to do it is actually having [the baby] in a certain year,” says Ms Chuang.
The list of famous dragons already includes Sigmund Freud, Florence Nightingale and Beatles John Lennon and Ringo Starr. By the end of the year, Ms Chuang hopes to add a baby dragon of her own.
3 News