Chinese mothers go to great lengths to delay births of their 2nd children

Second-time mums in China are celebrating not just the birth of their children, but also avoiding the hefty one-child policy fines which have been abolished starting this year.

To do so, some mums have resorted to delaying the births of their children.

Shanghaiist reported that one woman, a Mrs Yang from Fujian province, celebrated not only the Jan 1 birth of her child, but also the 80,000 yuan ($17,432) that the family won't be paying in fines.

The baby has since been nicknamed "Ba Wan", which means 80,000, to mark the significant savings.

Despite experiencing cramps since Dec 27, Mrs Yang was monitored throughout the clock and managed to "cross the line" to give birth on Jan 1 instead.

Elsewhere in China, another mother from Hangzhou reportedly did not move for five days in order to delay the expected birth of her child from Dec 26 to Jan 2. She managed to avoid incurring the hefty penalty after being rushed to hospital only on Jan 1.

China's introduction of the new two-child policy on Jan 1 is expected to lead to a baby boom.

candicec@sph.com.sg