Abstract

Introduction: Different studies have been carried out on population groups from different parts of the world, using different research methods to find a link between the lunar phase and the onset of labor. The results of previous studies on the relationship between lunar phases and the number of births are contradictory, and there is no consensus among researchers. The issue needs attention, as there is an opinion among healthcare professionals as well as mothers that the lunar phases are related to the number of births. It is important that midwives are familiar with the subject, as the mother can also believe in the relationship of the lunar phases to the number of births, and midwives must inform the patient about the subject based on evidence-based sources. If the connection of the lunar phases with the number of births is confirmed, then it allows calculating the time of the onset of labor more precisely, and based on this, the use of a larger labor resource can be planned due to the increase in the number of births in certain lunar phases. No evidence-based study has been conducted in Estonia to investigate the possible relationship of lunar phases to the number of births.

Methods: A cross-sectional study belonging to quantitative research has been used as a method. As part of the research, Estonia birth rate statistics for the time period 2018 - 2019 were collected. The data was analyzed, and the results were presented as tables and figures.

Results: The results of the research show that in both 2018 and 2019, the average number of births per day is very similar in the lunar phases. The highest number of births per day in 2018 was in the Full Moon and in 2019 in the waxing lunar phase. The connection of the lunar phases with the number of births in Estonia in the period 2018 - 2019 was not found, on the basis of which it can be concluded that the lunar phases in Estonia in the period 2018 - 2019 did not affect the daily changes in the number of births.

Conclusion: No similar study has been conducted on this topic in Estonia before. Therefore, these results are important. It was confirmed that the lunar phases have no connection with the number of births in Estonia in the period 2018 - 2019. The authors of the research are convinced that this topic is of interest and provides evidence-based knowledge to healthcare professionals, especially midwives working in the field of childbirth.

Keywords: Lunar Phase; Impact; Correlation; Birth Rate

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