United Hatzalah EMT volunteer
United Hatzalah EMT volunteerCourtesy of United Hatzalah

A record number of women gave birth over the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), Maayanei Yeshua hospital reported Monday - over four times more than average. 

No fewer than 140 women gave birth over the two-day holiday, the hospital stated - over four times the average 30-35 births. The statistic breaks all previous records for Rosh Hashanah births.

Overall, 12,000 babies were born at the hospital in 5774 (2013-2014), making it the third largest hospital for delivering babies in Israel after Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva. 

Additional birthing records were broken as well over the holiday, according to medic service United Hatzalah.

Five babies were delivered by volunteer EMTs in the 24 hours following the holiday, Hatzalah said - all of them mothers in Jerusalem and the surrounding area who did not reach local hospitals in time. 

Just after midnight on Saturday night, an EMT was called to emergency deliver the baby of a 23-year-old woman in Mea She’arim. The baby was not breathing as a result of the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck but the EMT was able to save the baby’s life.

In another instance that occurred just after 9am, another United Hatzalah EMT delivered a baby in a taxi to a mother from Ramot who was on her way to the hospital.

In total in 5774, 90,646 boys were born and 85,584 girls, bringing the population of Israel up to 8,904,373.