something that had not occurred to me

The news here is full of predictions about the storm, worries about damage, about the loss of electricity, and so on. The Washington Post mentions one effect of large storms like this that had not occurred to me.

Doctors alerted women who are due to give birth in the next week or so to have their hospital bags packed a little early. The drop in barometric pressure associated with the hurricane could cause a woman’s water to break early. Hospital officials said they are aware that lowering of atmospheric pressure tends to result in a spike in births.

“It’s along the same line as what happens when there’s a full moon,” said Matt Brock, a spokesman for Washington Hospital Center.