Millennials waiting longer to start families

An increasing number of millennials are waiting to have children, according to a recent report

Millennials are Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000s, and are the largest generation in the U.S., representing more than 33 percent of the total population in 2013, according to the Census Bureau.

The most recent data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics, which is affiliated with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that more than 3.9 million births occurred in 2013, a nearly 1-percent drop from the previous year. There were also further decreases in several birth categories, including teen pregnancy.

Although a decline in birthrates has been found nationally, many obstetricians are staying busy delivering babies.

“In our community, we haven’t really seen large trends when it comes to birthrates,” says Dr. Shelly Amuh, an OB/GYN physician at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago. “If there is any trend, we have seen more mothers who come here and want education on breastfeeding their babies so they are healthy.”

Some of the highlights of the report included:

• A total of 26,660 less children were born in 2013. Birthrates declined for non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women for the second year in a row.
• The 2013 general fertility rate declined to 62.5 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, beating the previous year’s historic low for the U.S.
• The birthrate for teenagers 15 to 19 years old dropped 10 percent, which follows a 6-percent decline that took place starting in 2012.
• Birthrates also declined for women in their 20s to record lows in 2013. Although, birthrates for women in their 30s and late 40s rose in 2013.
• The birth rate for unmarried women 15 to 44 years old fell for the fifth consecutive year.

The report also found that twin birthrates have reached a new high for the nation. Experts are anticipating that births are likely to pick up as the economy continues to grow.