I would like to confess something. Until recently, in my mind and I am sure in the mind of many of my friends and acquaintances, I have associated the former high school classmate who is already married and settled with a few adolescent kids with the nondescript, pimpled, one-track, shallow and naive classmate, the one who married the first man that merely said hello to her at age 18. A person who has never travelled the world, socialised or studied at university.

Sorry to say it, but at the time, that was our unexpressed philosophy.

However, over the years, a somewhat related, kind of weird transformation occurred in all of us, of course, gradually.

From freedom-lovers, bohemians, artists at heart, travel-lovers and “students forever” – as the saying goes in Bulgaria – suddenly, we have all turned into mothers, more pregnant women and mothers again.

Now, everywhere I look there is someone who has just given birth or will give birth or has just found out she is pregnant. Last year, for instance, about 10 of my friends and acquaintances had a child or were reported pregnant. This year is the same.

This is my attempt to find an explanation to this interesting phenomenon; it is not meant to be a eulogy to my contemporaries who happened to find motherhood at an earlier age.

From a straightforward and a bit humorous Chinese-astrology signs aspect of this issue, I was told that year 2007 was the year of the Pig, which is usually depicted with a lot of baby pigs as a sign of abundance and fertility.

On the other hand, leaving all the astrology stuff behind, from a totally practical point of view, we are all in our 30s, which is actually a normal and quite practical explanation to this boom. As the trite saying goes, “the biological clock is ticking”…

From a media-influence point of view, J-Lo, Angelina, Beyonce, Britney and Christina have all bared the news that they are pregnant or have recently given birth. (Not to mention Azis.)

Everyone everywhere, especially Hollywood, is getting pregnant and giving birth – even Britney Spears’ sister, not the best role-model because she is so young, is pregnant.

Besides the few exceptions, this is a kind of benign influence from Hollywood, more like a trend in goodness, fertility and motherhood than, for instance, the sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll wave.

Of course, in Bulgaria, it seems that our stars are following the same fashion. There are actually a couple of folk singers who happen to be pregnant by the same man. But, as my gynaecologist put it: “It is not fashion at all, they just feel they are catching the last train.”

And last but not least – from our own, non-star standpoint. I take the liberty to speak in the plural because I have discussed this issue many times with friends and colleagues. We are, simply, after all the partying and noise, ready to just settle down. We have done our merrymaking, travelled many countries and studied – this is the general line of thought.

So, what is left out is the equation, and the equation is: most everyone is happy (or, happier that a few years ago), the population in Bulgaria is growing – although officially there aren’t yet such statistics – and youngsters are imminent, parks are full, and the industry of prams, nappies and bibs is proliferating. Media and newspapers are selling out with pregnant stars on the covers, and stars hugging their babies. Parents and grandparents are happy, too, with their children and grandchildren.

So, in the end, this is a happy world, generally speaking, and why not. This is the main, if not the only, purpose of life.

But, there is one piece of advice remaining, as far as I understand: “Be a smug married, but do not forget the Bridget Jones in you.”