Does a full moon cause labor?
I recently attended a friend’s baby shower where one of the games was to guess the date baby was coming.
The mother in law picked a date, and when I asked her why she picked it, she said that was the date of a full moon.
Having never heard of this correlation, it got me thinking about the validity of this theory. Was any truth to this?
The Logic Behind The Old Wives Tale
On Earth, the Moon has a gravitational pull that affects the tides and waves.
Since baby is in a bag of water (amniotic fluid), people have speculated that the moon has the ability to pull that water and create labor contractions by causing the water to burst.
Is This A Known Thing?
Many cultures around the world believe that the moon and women’s fertility are linked. This may be why this old wives tale has existed for so long.
Among the birthing community, this is definitely well known! In fact, you may hear nurses in labor and delivery units often site a full moon as a reason for a busy night.
But, if you’ve never heard of this theory, don’t worry. You are not alone!
In a survey conducted with 102 patients at a Midwestern obstetric clinic (linked here), 10.8% of patients believed that the moon had an effect on labor and 60.8% had never heard of the belief.
So, Does A Full Moon Cause Labor?
Unfortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that a full moon has any effect on labor.
In a 2001 study, astronomer Daniel Caton and his team looked at data from over 50 million births in the United States to see if there was any correlation. He found that while there is a correlation between lunar phase and birth rates, it does NOT peak at full moon.
You can find Dr.Caton’s study here.
In a different study conducted in 2005, researchers analyzed data from 564,039 births across 62 lunar cycles from 1997 to 2001. Yet again, there was no evidence to suggest the moon has an influence on labor.
Okay, Maybe The Moon Doesn’t Matter. But Does Timing?
In my experience as a doula, I’ve found that babies enjoy coming early in the morning when it is peaceful and quiet.
This is, of course, when mama is in an environment where she feels safe and when she is left alone.
Can Changes In Barometric Pressure Affect Labor?
Large changes in barometric pressure, either low to high OR high to low, may have the ability to cause you to go into labor.
In one study from 2007, low barometric pressure (hurricanes, blizzards, thunder storms) was associated with an increased spontaneous rupture of membranes (water breaking) and premature labor.
Don’t Worry, Baby Will Come
If you Googled this and are reading this article, there may be a good chance you are a pregnant mama at her wit’s end.
After having two babies (one of which came after his due date), I completely understand how taxing the last few weeks are to the mind and body.
But just know that even if it feels like it, you won’t be pregnant forever. And regardless of the phase of the moon, you are getting closer and closer to meeting your baby with each passing day.
Conclusion
Humans will always try to impose order and make sense of things. Birth is random and mysterious, which makes us want to figure it out!
And even though the moon doesn’t seem to have an effect on labor, it definitely is a fun theory to think about!
