The increase in population in DuPage County isn’t fueled only by families moving to newly built homes. Each month the county welcomes more than 1,000 newborns.
The Illinois Department of Public Health tracks these births, and compiles them month by month. A look at statistics from May, the most recent month available, reveals some interesting data about DuPage County babies and their families:
– There were 1,238 babies born, with boys outnumbering girls 650 to 588.
– Naperville, recently awarded the title Kid Friendliest City by Zero Population Growth in Washington, D.C., led the county, with 142 babies calling it home.
– There may be a lot of talk about home birth, but the overwhelming majority of babies, 1,225, were born in hospitals. (The state doesn’t track how many of the rest were delivered by cab drivers.)
– Yawning parents are on the increase: Of the total, 414 were firstborns. At the other end of the spectrum, just two had at least nine brothers and sisters.
– Roselle and Hinsdale tied for top multiples honors. Six of the babies born in each of those towns had company.
– The most popular age bracket for moms giving birth was 30-34, with 497 babies being born to women in this age range. Older moms may have trouble finding enough of their kind to form a support group. Just two babies were born to women 45 and older.
– Big babies weren’t a big part of the numbers. Just 26 weighed more than 9 pounds 2 ounces; most babies, 847, weighed in between a little more than 6 and slightly more than 8 pounds.
– More than 10 percent of the babies were born to single mothers; 1,097 had two parents.
– May was one of the busiest months; during the 12 previous months, only once had more babies been born. That was in July 1996 when 1,257 births were recorded. The least number was in February of this year when the total was just 951.
