A Singaporean mother who picked Saturday to give birth to her baby daughter said she hoped the girl would be the best possible Valentine's Day gift to her husband. Ting See-hau, 32, was 38 weeks into her pregnancy when she realised that she might have to spend Lunar New Year in hospital if she waited for a natural birth, which would have been due tomorrow. So the mother of a two-year-old boy decided to bring the delivery of her second child a few days forward by having her labour induced. "I do not want spend the Lunar New Year in the hospital," Ting said by telephone from Singapore. "I do not want relatives and friends having to visit the hospital to see my daughter during the festival." She added: "I think it will be a very special and sweet day to remember for our family. The baby will be like a St Valentine's gift to my husband." The pre-Lunar New Year "baby boom" trend is particularly strong in Singapore as it celebrates the 50th year of independence. All babies born this year receive a special jubilee baby gift bundle from the city state's government. Other mothers-to-be bring forward their deliveries for a variety of reasons, not least related to quirks of the lunar calendar. READ MORE: C-section baby boom as parents rush to give birth before Lunar New Year As Chinese say farewell to the Year of the Horse and greet the Year of the Goat, some expectant mothers are trying to give birth before Lunar New Year's Day on February 19. Mak Ling-ling, one of Hong Kong's best-known fortune tellers, said there was a traditional belief that "horse babies" are more vigorous and healthier than those born in the Year of the Goat, which will begin on Thursday. "Parents usually want to choose a date which brings better achievement for their babies or for the children to be filial and obedient to the parents," said Mak. "Also, it is luckier for the newborn to make it in time to receive red packets from all the relatives." Mak charges a fee of around HK$10,000 to help parents pick a "lucky day" for childbirth. She said this fortuitous date for delivery can be chosen within 14 days before the mother expects to give birth. However, Dr Kun Ka-yan, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, said local medical professionals would not deliver babies prematurely, as hospitals now had a strict policy to ensure any procedure should be done only on women 38 weeks into pregnancy. He said while the practice of picking a "lucky day" for delivery was common in Hong Kong, it was more popular among mainland mothers who gave birth in the city before 2013. The government has since banned mainlanders from booking local maternity beds following an influx of mothers giving birth in Hong Kong to obtain right of abode.