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At a recent party, my friends and I got into a spirited discussion about when a baby's time of birth is actually determined. No one could come up with a definite answer, however.

Some argue that a baby's time of birth is when the head crowns. Others say that it's when the entire baby is out of the mother's body. Still others insist that it's when the baby is breathing.

A member of the labor and delivery department at Boston Medical Center says that only one of these guesses is correct. "Sometimes the baby needs help breathing after delivery," she says, so the time when the baby is breathing on his or her own cannot be considered the actual time of birth. She adds that there's often a passage of time between the moment the baby's head crowns and the time the entire baby finally emerges -- from seconds to minutes -- which can be critical when you're wondering on what date to celebrate your baby's birthday.

The time of birth is "when the entire baby is out," she says. Delivery room personnel glance at the clock on the wall and use that time as the official birth time. So if your baby's head crowns at 11:59 p.m. on December 31 or on February 28, you may or may not have a New Year's or a leap-year baby, depending on when the baby has been delivered. And with multiple births, the babies may end up with a different date of birth.

"Ask the Bridge" welcomes readers' questions. E-mail bridge@bu.edu or write to "Ask the Bridge," 10 Lenox Street, Brookline, MA 02446.

26 October 2001
Boston University
Office of University Relations