Superstitious parents-to-be in China are hurrying to deliver their babies before the Year of the Sheep, a supposed unlucky year for newborn babies that starts on Feb. 19.
It's believed that the Year of the Sheep, which occurs once every 12 years, brings meek and unhappy lives to newborn babies, reported New York Times.
The fear falls in line with the old saying "nine out of 10 sheep who will lead an unhappy life."
Before the feared Feb. 19 date falls, parents have their last opportunities to deliver a baby in the Year of the Horse, a year that the superstitious believe breeds vigorous and healthy babies, reported NYT.
Several hospitals in China reported that they are feeling the effects of the upcoming Sheep Year, as their delivery rooms are filling up so fast that they are running out of birth certificates to distribute.
"Even though people say it's just a superstition, you can see that this thinking has been passed down in all of China, and it's hard to avoid feeling emotionally entangled in it," China Central Television, the state broadcaster, quoted a person who went by the name of Ye, according to NYT.
Although planning to deliver a child in Year of the Sheep is going against the grain in much of China, some prospective parents believe having a child then could actually be a good thing.
"When I give birth, I want my child to be born in a Sheep Year," one nurse said to NYT. "That way my child won't have to face so much competition in society, and its life will be better."
There's always a chance that this nurse may actually not be cursed for her decision of delivering during a Sheep Year, as it was the same year that both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were born - and they seemed to do just fine.
