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Couples vie for 'millennium baby' bragging rights

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April 9, 1999
Web posted at: 2:57 p.m. EDT (1857 GMT)

(CNN) -- With the approach of the millennium, the pessimists are stocking up on canned food and fresh water. But Friday, optimists were preparing with a bottle of wine and a couple of Barry White albums.

Health experts consider Friday the best day to conceive a child for a couple hoping to give birth on January 1, 2000. And in several cities worldwide, the race to produce a "millennium baby" was a public event.

Well, not that public. But in Boston, four couples were vying for a $1 million baby bounty payable to the parents of the first baby born in the United States in the year 2000. A radio station is offering the money, and picked the couples from among hundreds of callers.

The couples were holed up in a Boston hotel Friday in hopes of conceiving. The births must be natural, with no Caesareans or induced labor.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a beach resort offered a free room to two employees hoping to conceive. And in Auckland, New Zealand, another radio station offered a free night in a hotel to 100 couples hoping to beget a 21st-century child.

"It's a shot, like playing the lottery," said Nigel Dunn, one of those hoping to win. "The only difference is you get something with it."

The odds in that lottery are long, medical experts say, and the date isn't as significant as some think. Any baby conceived in the past week -- or in the next two weeks -- could be the one, said Dr. Carlene Elsner, a U.S. reproductive endocrinologist.

"Babies aren't very predictable. Some come early. Some come late," Elsner said. "Just because you ovulate now doesn't guarantee that you will have that December 31 or January 1 baby."

And not everyone is enthralled with the rush to produce a millennium baby. In Britain and in New Zealand, health authorities are warning that short-staffed hospitals may be overwhelmed by a rush of maternity cases.

"Remember, the baby born on December the 31st is going to be the last baby of the millennium," Elsner said. "It is also going to get you a tax break from Uncle Sam."

Correspondents Holly Firfer and Mike Chinoy contributed to this report.



RELATED STORIES:
In-Depth Special: Looking at the Y2K bug
Mayo - Your personal Y2K - Countdown to a healthy millennium
April 5, 1999
Large telecom carriers Y2K ready, FCC says
April 1, 1999
Fed's advice on Y2K: Get tense but don't panic
March 18, 1999

RELATED SITES:
Millennium Baby Watch - Pregnancy/Birth - Net Links
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Everything 2000
All Y2K Links -- Year 2000 Problem, Millennium Bug Bomb Predictions, Preparation Information
Global Millennium Foundation
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