The world's most populous nation, China, is witnessing a baby boom this year  - the year of the monkey. That is because many couples in the country, which strictly practises the 'one-child' per couple norm, believe that babies born this year will enjoy good luck.

Every Chinese has his or her 'Sheng Xiao' -- one of the 12 animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig) used symbolising the lunar year in which a person is born. Many Chinese believe 'monkey' babies (babies born in the year of the monkey) will be more cute and intelligent.

Approximately 10,000 babies are expected to be born in the Beijing Maternity Hospital (BMH) this year, which is twice the annual figure in previous years, Xinhua news agency said quoting hospital statistics.

Till October 31, a total of 7,684 women have given birth at the hospital, more than the annual figure in most other years, hospital sources said. They said more than 2,000 more pregnant women have registered in the BMH, planning to give birth in the next two months.

The hospital has had to turn doctors' offices into wards and shorten the time of observation for women. Other hospitals in Beijing face similar situations, according to BMH authorities.

Other major Chinese cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have also had more pregnant women this year, according to local health bureaus in these cities.

Since embarking on the mandatory 'one-child' per couple policy, people in China have become particular about their babies, providing them with fine, nutritious food, nice clothes, better education and even choosing the year of birth.

The year of 2003 was the "year of the sheep" in the Chinese lunar calendar. According to tradition, babies born that year will have ill fortune. Thus, many would-be mothers delayed their plans to have a baby.

Liang Ke, a stewardess with Air China, who will give birth to her baby in December, said, "My husband and I have waited for our baby since we failed to have one in 2000, the year of the dragon." The couple began to make preparations last year in order to have their first baby this year, the year of the monkey.

However, experts said superstitious ideas bring those babies more trouble than luck. Kids born this year could have difficulties entering schools and finding jobs, for example.

They cite the example of 'dragon babies' -- born in the year of the dragon, which is considered lucky by the Chinese. The babies, also called 'Millennium babies', as they were born in 2000, are already facing problems. In 2003, a large number of China's 'millennium babies', having reached school-going age, put heavy pressure on the country's kindergartens.

• More News Reports

'Monkey babies' could create another 'birth peak' when they grow up and get married, experts said. "To bring real fortune to their kids, Chinese couples of child-bearing age should avoid such birth peaks," they suggest.