IT’S A GOOD DAY FOR LEAPERS (BUT STILL NOT A GOOD ONE FOR LEPERS)

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This morning on the Today Show, leapers as they’re called (babies born on Leap Day), gathered around Al Roker touting their “technical” ages, including a 17-year-old man with gray hair and a 16-year-old woman who certainly wouldn’t get carded. Had I been born on a leap day, I would be…well, let’s not go there. It is estimated that there are only 200,000 leapers in the US and 4 million around the world, but Leap Day isn’t the only exceptional birthday.

In addition to Leap year, here are a few more unique birthdays.

  • Holiday Season – Far fewer babies are born during the holiday season than any other time of the year – with lower than average births on Christmas Day, New Years Day and Christmas Eve. Just as well, most Christmas babies get the shaft anyway.
  • Baby’s Due Date – Expecting your baby to be born within a few days of your due date? Don’t cross your legs fingers. Research has shown that you have about a 35% chance of delivering in your 40th week of pregnancy. It is the most common week to give birth, but weeks 38 and 39 make up the same percentage, with only about 20% passing the 40 week mark. So what percent of babies are born on their actual due date? Only 4-5% (a rare class that includes our own little diva).
  • Full moon – Research has suggested that more babies are born during a full moon, which was also the case with my daughter. Apparently, like the moon’s effect on tides, the gravitational pull of the full moon can affect amniotic fluid, breaking the sac without any other signs of labor being present. On August 24, I woke to my water breaking, but labor was going so slowly that my daughter wasn’t born until an excruciating 24 hours later.
  • May 22 – Researchers aren’t sure why, but this day boasts the fewest births, maybe because it’s just too damn hot in late August to tangle up the sheets.
  • October 5 – Move over September 16. In recent years, October 5 has taken the lead as the most popular day to be born. It’s not really surprising though. Counting back 274 days, which is the average length of pregnancy, you end up with a conception date of…New Year’s Eve. Talk about ringing in the New Year with a bang!

Were there any unique circumstances surrounding your or your children’s births?

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Comments

  1. Funny about May 22 – I have a friend who was born on that day and her father was as well!

  2. You know my unique circumstances. We were in the hospital the exact same time and our babies were born 3 hrs apart! How cool is that?!

  3. Momma on the Rocks momma on the rocks says:

    I know! Guess the moon had an effect on you too! lol

  4. When we were discussing inducing our first child, my doctor looked at her calendar to see what day she was on call. It was April 1st. We thought that was appropriate for our crazy family, so we went with it. We told people, it was no joke, we were having her on April Fool’s Day. So, as she grows older, I will make sure she knows all the best pranks and jokes to celebrate her birthday.

    That’s not all. When needed to induce my second child too. I went to make the appointment with the lady with the calendar. She had a few dates open so I choose August 13th, (2010). I was really excited to have a date so after leaving the office I called my husband to let him know. When I told him he said, “You mean Friday the 13th?” Oh, I didn’t think about that.

    I don’t know if we’ll have anymore kids, but I do hope that if we do, they won’t be left out of the weird birthday club.

  5. I already checked the full moon dates in the month of May thinking it might influence when my baby arrives 😉

    Stumbled!

  6. It’s very funny, but after 12 years of teaching I never ONCE had a student with my same birthday (October 5th), while my husband has already had a number with his. I found out a couple of years ago about the popularity of my birth date and I have been on a quest for my fellow partiers ever since!

    • Momma on the Rocks momma on the rocks says:

      My husband and my birthdays are 2 days apart, so we always get to celebrate together. When’s your birthday?

  7. That is really interesting! I never really thought about the “leapers”. It would be strange not to have an actual birthday some years. Hmmm… My oldest son was born 5 days before his due date. My youngest? I don’t even remember his due date right now! Anyway, loved learning these facts!

    • Momma on the Rocks momma on the rocks says:

      Wow. Five days early. People kept asking me if I was anxious to have the baby and I kept saying “NO! I’m not ready.” lol Nine months seems like forever, until you’re at the end wondering where it all went.

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