Double happiness?

By Lin Qi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-03 09:07

Young mom Yang Yi had a tortuous time giving birth to her first child four years ago and vowed never to have a baby again. Her doctor smiled and said a woman's labor pains were easily erased by the joy of motherhood.

Yang doubted the doctor's advice but late last year gave birth to her second child, this time a boy.

"As our daughter was growing up, we thought it was time to bring her a younger brother or sister," Yang says.

"Our parents were looking forward to, and full of joy about, our newborn baby. They joked that the two grandchildren can carry on both the family names."

The 29-year-old entrepreneur and her 31-year-old university teacher husband live in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Yang Yi poses with her daughter as she awaits the birth of her second child. Courtesy of Yang Yi

They are among the new generation of young Chinese couples who can choose to have two children.

A family planning policy was adopted in the late 1970s in an effort to curb the population explosion, which threatened the nation's resources and environment. Certain exemptions were always envisaged, however, including for couples who each came from one-child families. Ethnic minority groups with small populations were also exempt.

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