The birth rate in Beijing is expected to spike this year - the Year of the Monkey - and the capital may see a baby boom with the expected arrival of  around 300,000 newborns, a 20 percent increase compared to the Year of the Sheep.

The anticipated boom is linked to the implementation of the two-child policy and the belief that bearing a baby during the Year of the Monkey is luckier than the previous year, the Year of the Goat.

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Gao Xiaojun of China's Commission of Health and Family Planning said on Thursday that in 2015, Beijing received applications from 62,000 couples looking to have a second child. He revealed that already, 20,000 couples have given birth since the relaxation of the one-child policy in February 2014.

                                                       'Fully booked'

In Beijing alone, the number of child-bearing females has risen by 2.36 million, Gao said. He added that rooms at the obstetrics departments in hospitals are already 'fully booked' in the Year of the Monkey.

Gao said the hospitals are under severe pressure this year, adding that officials will implement strict rules in the filing and delivery services of hospitals to meet the demands of the expectant mothers.

Beijing's Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital has reportedly expanded its newborn intensive care units and delivery rooms in anticipation of the baby boom.

                                                       30 percent

They have added 30 percent more beds to the emergency wards and assigned more nurses, said reports.

Chinese people believe that babies born in the Year of the Monkey grow up to be 'smart and confident', unlike their counterparts who are born in the 'unlucky'  Year of the Goat.

Analysts say zodiac sign is an important factor that Chinese people consider when deciding whether or not to have a baby. Many experts say this is the reason the for expected baby boom this year, rather than the two-child policy that took effect last month.

                                                       Luckier

Pundits say perhaps the biggest factor that will lead to more pregnancies this year is the belief that bearing a baby during the Year of the Monkey is 'luckier' than the previous year, the Year of the Goat.

Pregnancies dropped drastically beginning in March 2015, at the start of the Year of the Sheep, according to China Population Association.

It remained at that low level throughout the rest of the year. But Zhai Zhenwu, chairman of the China Population Association, said it went up again by mid-year in anticipation of the women giving birth in the Year of the Monkey.

TagsNewborns, Beijing, Year of the Monkey, baby boom, China Population Association