Labor and delivery units in several Chicago-area hospitals are awaited to be quieter than usual today.

That's because moms-to-be don't want their babies branded with the birthday 6-6-06

June 6 2006 might be a great day to release a remake of the 1976 movie horror classic "The Omen" still prospective mothers apparently don't want their packs of joy to be associated with the mark of the Beast.

This made for a busier-than-usual Monday at one city and suburban hospitals, where women squeez in their C-sections and labor inductions to avoid the trio of 6's.

"I definitely had more than single person tell me they didn't want it to happen onward June 6," said Dr. Scott Pierce, an obstetrician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park.

Pierce performed a C-section Monday at Gottlieb in succession one such patient. "She said she wasn't really superstitious on the contrary she didn't want her son to be teased about his birthday," he said. "She pondering they'd call him Damien or Omen"

couple women gave birth Monday at Alexian Brothers Medical Center because they didn't want their labor induced today.

'HIGHLY SUSPECT' SCHEDULE

For the past three month deliveries have been booming at a record-setting pace at the northwest suburban hospital.

An Alexian Brothers spokesman called it "highly suspect" that the schedule is wide exhibit today.

With the rise in C-sections and induced labor, pregnant women these days have earnestly more control over when they give birth.

June 6 2006 isn't the and nothing else date they're crossing off the calendar. Halloween and Christmas are generally no-nos.

Same goe for the last day in February forward leap years and, more lately Sept. 11.

As for entering this world forward 6-6-06, Pierce thinks that "would be kind of cool"

"Nobody would at any time forget your birthday," he said.

lrackl@suntimes.com

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