A couple has received ‘the best present ever’ thanks to the birth of their first baby on their joint birthdays.
Simone Milner turned 29 on November 18 – the same day partner Matthew Leigh turned 40.
Against the odds, their new baby daughter, Alma Leigh, arrived that day too.
Alma held was overdue by over two weeks, holding on until she became the third person in their household with the same birthday.
Simone, from Stockport Cheshire said: ‘It would have been a really special day whenever she arrived, but this was amazing.
‘She’s the best birthday gift ever. You can’t do better than that, and it really is a special day now.
‘I have to say giving birth didn’t make it feel like a birthday at all. I only remember being really high on gas and air and shortly after midnight Mat said “Happy Birthday”. I was like “Oh is it our birthday?”
‘It was such a far cry, her being 15 days overdue. It’s almost like she made a choice to come on our birthday.’
Simone and Mat have celebrated their joint birthday for six years now and were over the moon to add their daughter to the celebrations.
Mat said: ‘It’s magical. It’s very special to share the date as a family.
‘For someone with a terrible memory, it makes it easy to remember two very important days of the year.’
Simone, who works in property finance, met Mat when she became a member of the gym he owns in November 2016.
He reached out to her on Messenger not long after, pointing out their shared birthday. After a few messages back and forth, they were planning their first official date.
Their connection was instantaneous and the rest was history.
Since they became an official item, Simone and Mat have celebrated their joint birthdays with things like holidays or big blow-out restaurant meals – except, of course, their last one.
Alma was supposed to arrive on November 3, but it seems she had other ideas.
The couple went into hospital for a routine check-up at on November 17, and accepted the midwife’s offer to break Simone’s waters.
After a 12-hour overnight labour, they learned that Alma was in an awkward position, so doctors advised a c-section, which is how the baby was delivered on 18 November.
Simone said she is especially looking forward to celebrating her 50th birthday at the same time as her daughter’s 21st.
Mat’s dad Frank had been hoping the baby would be born on his son’s birthday, and even texted Simone to cross her legs when she went into hospital the day before.
Meanwhile, Simone’s team of 14 colleagues ran a sweepstake on the birthdate, and winner Keiran earned £15 from his £1 bet.
‘Our house was flooded with good wishes’, Simone said, “There wasn’t a window sill or table top free of cards.
‘It’s odd all sharing a birthday because you’re celebrating yourself, but also everyone else. But at least we’ll never forget each other’s birthdays.
‘I wonder how we would manage if we had another one, and it came on a different day.’
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