Perfect presents New arrivals bring extra Christmas delight
CHRISTMAS Day is a time of joy and merriment for all, and for those who have a birthday on the same day, it’s a double celebration.
This year, 10 babies were born across Gloucestershire on December 25.
We spoke to some of the mothers about their new babies and the experience of giving birth on the festive day.
At the Aveta Birth Centre in Cheltenham, the first Christmas baby was born at 12.35am.
Isabella Tandy was born five days early as she was due on December 30, weighing seven pounds and four ounces.
Parents Claire Mitten and Liam Tandy, from Badgeworth and who work as a training manager for fraud investigation and as a technical manager respectively, thought the birth was “a lovely Christmas gift”.
The couple’s first daughter Sophia, three, is happy about having a new sister and is looking forward to playing princesses with her, according to her mum.
Ms Mitten said: “It’s a lovely Christmas present for us all. She was five days early and so yeah, I wasn’t expecting it on Christmas Day and I certainly wasn’t excepting the first baby born in Gloucestershire anyway on Christmas Day. Lovely gift for the family after the year we have all had.”
Across the region at the delivery suite in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester, a midwife was also celebrating her birthday while helping deliver the babies.
Sarah Wiggins was celebrating her 37th birthday during her shift. Her thoughtful team put up birthday decorations for her and prepared a cake.
She said: “We’ve been having lots of cake today, the sisters have made cupcakes for us today to enjoy and I’ll be having cake when I go home going home to be with my family. So lots of cake for me today.”
First-time mum Isobel Owens, 19, gave birth to Christopher Daniel Thomas at 1.43am.
Miss Owens said: “The midwife who came in to the room first thing in the morning had a big badge on and I was like ‘happy birthday.’ I forgot it was even Christmas.”
Christopher, who was born weighing six pound and 10 ounces, shares his name with his dad Mr Thomas, 24, who works for a removal company.
Christopher is the third generation of first born sons who share the name Christopher Daniel Thomas.
Isobel said: “His due date was actually Christmas Day, so he came on his due date as well.
“So we were half expecting him to be either early or late, we weren’t expecting him to come on his official due date.
“We feel fine, obviously it is what it is. “When we first heard it was Christmas Day we were like ‘Oh my god no!’
“We don’t want him to have his birthday on Christmas Day, but now we’ve got him here it’s just - it is what it is.”
It’s a lovely Christmas present for us all New mum Claire Mitten