IT HAS been nine months since couples across Hull celebrated Christmas with a kiss under the mistletoe.
Exactly 40 weeks on, midwives have seen something of a baby boom.
There have been 130 babies delivered in the past seven days, a 20 per cent increase on the usual 105 born in a week.
Women have given birth to 72 baby girls and 54 baby boys at Hull's Women and Children's Hospital, keeping midwives and doctors busier than usual.
Amy Page, 27, and partner Chris Gray, 38, are one of the couples celebrating Hull's baby boom after baby daughter Orla arrived weighing 8lbs on Thursday.
Orla kept her mum and dad, of Sunny Bank, west Hull, waiting after she was six days overdue.
Amy, who hopes to go home today, said: "The birth was hard work, but seeing Orla's little face and holding her at the end made it all worth it.
"I had four midwives involved at different stages of the birth and one of those was a community midwife who came in to do an extra shift to help me. I just wouldn't have been able to do it without their help.
"The midwives have been busy, but they were also efficient and we received really good care."
The baby boom has come along in the same week as hospital staff at Hull Royal Infirmary have faced unprecedented numbers of patients turning up for emergency treatment.
About 3,000 people have turned up at Hull's Emergency Department in the past week, with about 600 having to be admitted.
Across from the Hull Royal tower block, midwives at Women and Children's have also been rushed off their feet bringing the latest arrivals into the world.
Ward sister Angi Rymer said: "When good news sometimes feels like it's a bit thin on the ground, it's a privilege to be part of something so special and to have brought happiness into so many more people's lives this week.
"There's no doubt that hospital staff have been working hard across the board this week and we've seen a really high number of women coming into hospital ourselves.
"We usually average about 15 births per day across our maternity services but, over recent days, we've seen this really take off.
"On Tuesday and Thursday, we helped to deliver an amazing 23 babies."
She paid tribute to staff and community midwives for their dedication after they were called on to work long shifts and overtime to bring the babies safely into the world.
Ms Rymer said: "The staff on our labour and maternity wards and those working within our community midwifery service are going to great lengths to make sure all of our women are cared for and their babies delivered safe and sound.
"All of our staff working on the shop floor deserve a really big 'thank you' as they've worked incredibly hard, with many going over and above and working longer shifts to meet this recent rise in activity."
