Dragon Babies Are This Year's Must Have
2012 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac, making it a good year to have a baby and a great one if you own a fertility clinic. "Although most ancient superstitions have disappeared from the conscience of second- and third-generation Asian Americans, the belief that the Year of the Dragon is lucky has persisted," reports The Los Angeles' Times Rosanna Xia, who adds that some couples can't wait another 12 years for a "dragon baby." A quick search of the Chinese Zodiac confirms the "lucky" perception of dragons, but dragons are also free spirits, colorful, and flamboyant (and yes, Dragons are just slightly cooler than the Year of the Dog your blogger was born in).
"Lucky" can also apply to fertility industry, which Xia observed. "We've had a 250% increase in Chinese, Vietnamese clients in the last two months," Kathryn Kaycoff Manos, co-founder of Global IVF and Agency for Surrogacy Solutions in Los Angeles, told The Los Angeles Times. "We sort of put that on the back burner, but suddenly we were getting all these phone calls from Asian clients. At first we thought it was because the economy was getting better. Now we understand."
Manos "understands" so well now, that her company created a Dragon Baby Special this year, to cater to Chinese clients. And in case you were wondering or planning your own dragon offspring, The Wall Street Journal points out that you have until mid-May to conceive in order to have a baby by February 9, 2013. After then, your baby will be born in the Year of the Snake.
