By LAURA CONE

With so many teachers expecting babies at Turner Elementary School, Lisa Brengel of Lutz said she was tempted to invite her obstetrician to the faculty meetings.
Turner guidance counselor Marni Wonderley had her son, Aaron, Jan. 16. Kindergarten teacher Tara Evans had twin boys Jan. 25.
Meanwhile, Evans’ temporary replacement, Regina Gordon, is expecting a child in May. Turner teachers Jamie Beck and Stacy Lee are also expecting.
But the fertility goddess has not just sprinkled dust on Turner. With spring on the horizon and Valentine’s Day around the corner, an unofficial baby boom may continue this year in the New Tampa area.
“You start to wonder who is next,” Brengel said. “A lot of us are friends. We are all the same age. It’s that time in your life.”
Eva Hilton, 5, made a Valentine’s Day card for her teacher, Gordon, who is pregnant.
“Both of our teachers were having babies,” Hilton said. “My other teacher had a girl and a boy. They were twins.”
Lee of New Tampa said most of the teachers are expecting their second child.
While it may be a challenge for administrators to handle all the maternity leaves, Lee said being a parent makes a teacher more empathetic and understanding.
“It’s everywhere,” Lee said. “I think a lot of the teachers are around the same age. I’ll be 31 when this one is born. Being a mother makes you a better teacher.”
Wonderley of Lutz, 35, who spoke from her home while on maternity leave, said she she plans to return to school in April. She hopes to have a second child in the next few years.
While she appreciates the support she has had from administrators, Wonderley said it would be a dream for teachers to have an on-site child care center.
“Family is important,” Wonderley said. “The fact that so many people were pregnant at the same time makes it that more special. It has been a celebration. There has not been any stress.”
But the New Tampa baby boom is not confined to just teachers at Turner .
Shelby Humbert of Wesley Chapel, the director of Grace Episcopal Preschool in Tampa Palms, said this is the first year the school offered a second class for 2-year-olds. She opens registration to the public Feb. 12 and expects long waiting lists.
“I’ve noticed there is a huge baby boom going on,” Humbert said. “Speaking as a school director, we have never had a longer waiting list as we do this year. I’ve seen a lot of first, second and third time moms coming through on tours.”
Humbert, who has a 2-year-old and 5-year-old, said she was surprised to see a return of the three child family.
“Instead of stopping at two, I’m seeing more moms in their early to mid-30s going for baby number three,” she said. “I have several expecting parents.”
Ginger Couden, who runs the Stroller Strides fitness program in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, said she recently expanded to a third class in the area.
Moms and their babies go on power walks, meeting in Meadow Pointe, Seven Oaks and now at Flatwoods Park off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
“We have a lot of new moms who started and a lot of moms are on their second child,” Couden said. “We see a lot of pregnant people. They will have one baby in the stroller and one on the way.”
She said the New Tampa area seems to draw growing families because of the master-planned communities with amenities for children.
“It’s the perfect place to raise a family,” said Couden, adding that businesses who cater to pregnant women and small children are also flourishing.
Couden herself has a 3-year-old as well as an infant.
“We see a lot of moms who are trying to get pregnant with their second in the New Tampa area,” she said. “It seems the trend is we have a lot of older moms. Once they have their first, they are not waiting a long time for the second. They want to have the rest of their children close together.”