The pandemic year 2021 was an exceptional year: 24,089 “lockdown babies” were born in Munich clinics – more than in a long time. But things will look different in 2022: the number of births has fallen significantly. 22,284 babies saw the light of day in the city of Munich last year, of which 16,540 were real “Münchner Kindl”.
Most births took place in the Munich Clinic (Mük). After that, 6268 babies were born in the three city women’s clinics. In Harlaching there were 2428, in Schwabing 2491 and in Neuperlach 1349. According to Mük, the number of multiple births in 2022 was at the level of previous years. Once triplets and 120 pairs of twins were born: one in Harlaching even on February 2nd, 2022. 38 more children were born in the three women’s clinics on the Schnapszahl dates on February 2nd and February 22nd. The clinic announced that 82 premature babies with a birth weight of less than 1500 grams were cared for in the neonatology clinic with the Schwabing and Harlaching locations.
Births are not only declining significantly in Munich, the preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office from January to August 2022 also confirm the trend. In Germany, 486,700 children were born in these months, a decrease of seven percent compared to the corresponding period from 2019 to 2021. According to the Federal Office, fewer and fewer parents decided to have a second child. The Federal Office reports that “the number of births of second children” has decreased “above average”.
Great trust in the women’s clinics of the Munich clinic
Despite the decline in births across Munich, “our birth rates are stable,” explains Mük’s managing director, Axel Fischer. This shows that “quality plays a decisive role in parents’ decisions”. And also show, as the two chief physicians of the women’s clinics, Christoph Scholz (Harlaching and Neuperlach) and Olaf Neumann (Schwabing), emphasize, “the great trust in our women’s clinics”. Fischer speaks of the growing responsibility that Mük is taking on in this area. “As part of our realignment, we will continue to expand our capacities.”
The Munich Clinic will increase the number of delivery rooms from eleven to thirteen. In total, after the completion of the new buildings in Harlaching and the children’s women’s clinic in Schwabing, 7,500 births should be possible each year. That could be the case as early as 2024.