A total of 78 451 babies were born in Bulgaria in 2010, which is a decrease from the 81 572 born in 2009, according to data from maternity hospitals presented a news conference on Tuesday.

The number of Bulgarian women who give birth when they are over 35 has grown dramatically in the past 10 years, according to gynecologists. In 2010, 13.04% of all women who gave birth were aged over 35, up from only 6.09% in 2000, according to Dr. Viktor Zlatkov, Director of the oldest maternity hospital in Sofia "Maychin Dom".

At a news conference on Tuesday, Zlatkov and other gynecologists explained that there are more and more cases of women having their first child when they are over 35, or even over 40-42.

According to Dr. Valentina Grigorova, Deputy Director of the St. Sofia hospital, most women would like to give birth naturally but the number of births through C-sections has increased because of the rising number of in vitro inceptions.

The Bulgarian gynecologists also said they are seeing a growth in the number of premature births as a result of infections.

Their news conference was dedicated to the "Baby of the Year" campaign of the "9 Months" Magazine.

Gabriel Hristov, born at 12:02 am on January 1, 2011, in Sofia was declared Bulgaria's baby of 2011; Georgi Slavov born at 23:25 pm on December 31, 2010, in Ruse, was the last baby to be born in 2010.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!