In the city of Baotou, Inner Mongolia, the number of couples responding to China's major one-child policy change this past Jan 1 has resulted in "steady growth" in those opting to have a second child, which in turn is expected to cause a boom in the economy as the policy takes full effect.

The policy will stimulate the economy in maternal and infant medical care, childhood medicines, milk powder, daily goods, toys, clothing, childhood education, and vehicle choice, one securities analyst has surmised.

In response, almost all the major hospitals in Baotou reported a peak in the number of women coming to ask about giving birth to a second baby before this Spring Festival.

At the same time, service centers have sensed the business possibilities in baby and maternal care, especially for those considered a bit old for pregnancy.

One who welcomed her second baby in Baotou recently, named Yuan, in describing her experience commented, "To tell the truth, at first I thought it hard to accept the cost for the service provided by the center, about 3 times of the normal cost, but later I found it worthwhile since the center provides overall care with nutritious meals, recovery, messaging, and health care".

Baotou now has three of these special service centers, all of them hotel style, and in the words of Wang Weina, a manager of one of them, "We're planning to open a comprehensive building this year to provide one-stop services."

Meanwhile, other industries such as insurance and daily goods are looking to join the boom in Baotou.