The CDC contemplated the idea that the recession was the culprit, but decided that more information was needed. A decline in immigration may also have played a part (although that, in turn, may have been caused by the recession anyway). To provide further insight into the matter, the AP tracked down a California woman, Heather Atherton, who'd put off having a child before recently deciding that, screw it, she'd let nature take its course.

"We just recently decided that it's time to stop waiting and just go for it early next year and let the chips fall where they may," she said. "We can't allow the recession to dictate the size of our family. We just need to move forward with our lives."

If Atherton's decision to add more risk to her household balance sheet is any indication, the recession in babymaking may have bottomed out.