Bloomin' Baby Booming

I look left - there's a baby,
I look right - there's a baby,
I look ahead - another baby,
I look behind - there's yet another baby,
I look at the woman serving me - in 5 months, she's gonna be having a baby.

.Spawning

My boom thoughts might be supported by the fact that the Vietnamese birth rate is 17.07 births/1,000 population at a 2011 estimate. Though, up here, in northern-'mountainous'-Vietnam - it is especially baby boom time - probably more than the average Viet statistic.

Or maybe it just seems more prevalent as the kids hang out openly with their families and freely walk around barefooted on the streets, on the rice paddies and are generally not wrapped up in cotton wool.







.Baby Behaviour

Babies are scarily very well-behaved here (I'm talking mainly from this mountain region). Extremely calm...chirpy, focused and giggly! Think it may be due to the fact that they are given crazy amounts of attention and kept close to their mothers, or in some cases, fathers..or any family member to be honest. The baby is transported everywhere with the parent. Prams and buggies - (I've just realised), I have NOT witnessed!? (could be expensive?). I tend to find the baby comfortably moulded and curled up to their mother dearest, usually on mother's back or on the lap. Or, waddling around bare foot in nature. Yep, nature may also play its part. A child brought up in a natural atmosphere with simple things to play with, simple organic things to eat, quiet noise, unspoilt, attention given, other babies to play with; might be that extra bit tranquil...ah, beaut.





.Evidence!

Free from intention, I've discovered I've collected a bundle of baby photos belonging to Vietnamese and other ethnic minorities - namely H'mong, D'zao, Tay, Yao, Lu.... Most of the ethnic minorities are forever giving birth.

"How many children do you have?",
"3".
And she's only 21!

The common age to give birth is at 17/18 years of age. There's no time-wasting here. They start young and those glorious youthful features that the parents acquire seem to latch onto the baby child who is also glowing, immensely. The rapid-multiplying world up here could be due to lack of contraception, education, early-starters, cultural trend or spreading the wealth in the family...who knows!


The same goes for most Asian countries I've visited. Not too broody yet, but these kids are cutey pies.



One too many pics to smother you with.
Loveable!

BOOM!