OOP: Where was the guard?/Birthrate in Wizarding World

[innovan]

No: HPFGUIDX 63423

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Mindy HP Fan <MollyWeazley at j...> 
wrote:
> Note the absence of a Maternity Department in St. Mungo's. What 
*is* the birthrate in the Wizarding World? You  never hear mention of 
someone being pregnant, someone giving birth... no one gets a new 
sibling or niece/nephew... no mention of people getting married either... >>>>


The high estimate (1000 students at Hogwarts) results in 143 births 
per year. The low estimate (Harry's class size is 45 students by 
Rowling's notebook pages) says 45 births per year. Some of these, like 
Hermione, are born at muggle maternity centers -say 25%.

So we have estimates ranging from 33-108 magical births per year for 
the entirety of the U.K. and Ireland. This small number will not even 
warrant building a two bed facility.

However, we also know that Mrs. Weasley goes ballistic over muggle 
medical procedures like stiching wounds, so its extremely unlikely 
that magical women go to muggle maternity wards if they know better.

I would not be surprised to find out that pure-blood dark families 
like the Blacks use confined pregnancy for the women and all 
sort of nonsense rituals that don't work to try to reduce the squib 
rate. (Too bad none of them understand genetics, recessive genes, or 
hybridization.) But mostly because of the low birth rate I propose 
home birthing with a midwife's supervision is the norm with wizards.  

Innovan