'Wishing for baby's arrival with Ram Lalla': Why expectant mothers in UP want to give birth on 22 January

Ram Mandir consecration fever is high, to the extent that the expecting mothers in Ayodhya are requesting doctors to deliver their child on the auspicious date of 22 January. Some are seeking to hold their deliveries, while other want a premature one to align with the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple. Not only this, but those who will give birth on the big day intend to name their children after Lord Ram. Not just Ayodhya, the requests to have a C-section on 22 January have reportedly been made in hospitals across districts in UP. Here’s a closer look. Surgeons brace for 35 C-sections on 22 January The women are enthusiastic about Pran Pratishtha and eager for Ram Lalla to arrive at their homes. Seema Dwivedi, acting in charge of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, said they have received written requests for 12 to 14 caesarean deliveries in one labour room. “The arrangements are being made for 35 caesarean operations on 22 January,” Dwivedi told PTI. The pregnant women and their family members have made the requests to the doctors even if their delivery dates are a few days before or after 22 January, considering it an “auspicious” day. “It’s a weird request and the count is increasing by the day,” a doctor at Ayodhya’s district hospital for women told News18. [caption id=“attachment_13588222” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Along with government hospitals, private nursing facilities are also struggling to meet the demand of pregnant woman to deliver on 22 January. File image/AP[/caption] The 100-bedded hospital has five surgeons who also examine patients at the out-patient department (OPD). “On an average, we get around 150 to 200 patients a day at the OPD. Of these, many are expecting mothers,” Dr Alankrita Ayan, medical officer at the hospital told News18. Every day, an average of six to eight deliveries are made. “In such a situation, it is next to impossible to align the deliveries on any one day as it will not only overburden the hospital, but may also pose a threat for the mother and the infant,” the doctor stated. Private nursing facilities are also struggling to meet the demand. ‘Hope my child will grow with good fortune’ Many mothers believe that their child will be blessed with good fortune if they deliver on 22 January. Dwivedi said expecting mothers often find out an auspicious date and time from priests and request delivery on that day. **Also Read: What the Ram Mandir event's invitation card looks like** She recounted various experiences where she delivered the babies at a scheduled time and date because the mothers and the family members stressed for the delivery to be done on a ‘muhurta’ (auspicious time) given by the priests. “It is concerning that sometimes the family members even expect us to overlook complications that may arise for the mother and the child by doing so,” Dwivedi told PTI. “The mothers believe that Lord Ram is the symbol of heroism, integrity and obedience, therefore babies born on the day of the ‘pran pratishtha’ at the temple will also have the same qualities,” she said. [caption id=“attachment_13588272” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Many mothers believe that their child will be blessed with good fortune if they deliver on 22 January. Image used for representational purpose/Pixabay[/caption] Malti Devi (26), a resident of Kalyanpur, whose delivery due date is on 17 January, is one of the expectant mothers who have made this request to the doctors at the Kanpur hospital. Devi told PTI that she wants her child to be born on the day of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla’s idol at the Ram temple. “I hope that my child will grow up to have success and glory,” she said. Psychologist Divya Gupta told PTI that people believe that if a child is born at an auspicious time, it creates a positive impact on the baby’s personality. “Sometimes religion and spirituality give a person strength to tackle the stresses of life and have a positive outlook,” Gupta added. **Also Read: Stone from Rajasthan, granite from Telangana: How Ram Temple in Ayodhya will have features from across the country** The first phase of the Ram temple is nearing completion and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla’s idol on 22 January. On the day of ‘pran pratishtha’, over a lakh pilgrims are anticipated to arrive on the temple town. The invitee list includes over 7,000 guests  from India and abroad, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though the ceremonies for the consecration ceremony will begin on 16 January, the major event’s ‘shubh muhurat’ (auspicious moment) will begin at 12.45 pm on 22 January and end at 1 am on 23 January. The ceremony will be attended by around 4,000 saints and priests from 140 different groups. With inputs from PTI