LEAP Day was busy in Bendigo Health's birthing suites, with eight babies delivered on Saturday.
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Their parents are already devising strategies for the years between birthdays, with plans to celebrate either side of what would be February 29.
About double as many babies were born on Leap Day than Bendigo Health's daily average.
THE possibility of giving birth on a day that only came around once every four years was a running joke during both Alexandra Wencel and Amber Ladd's pregnancies.
But they got the last laugh on Saturday, being among eight women to deliver babies at Bendigo Health.
Mrs Ladd and husband Erek Ladd welcomed their first child, Oliver, into the world at 11am on Leap Day.
Ms Wencel and husband James Fedoruk followed almost three hours later with their second child, Zoey Fedoruk.
Having a Leap Day birthday hadn't been part of either family's plans.
Oliver was five days overdue. Zoey came five days early.
"I can hold on," Ms Wencel thought when her contractions started early on Saturday morning.
And there was a period where it seemed Zoey wouldn't be coming for a little while yet - not so long that the couple could head home to Gisborne, but not soon enough that they were ready to head into a birthing suite.
But that all changed, and so quickly there was no time for an epidural.
Zoey was born at 1.47pm.
For Mrs Ladd, an entire night passed before she was confident the contractions she was experiencing were the real thing.
The Bendigo couple arrived at hospital about three hours before their son was born.
Neither mum would have wished a Leap Day birthday on their child, but they had come around to the idea by Sunday.
"She is very special and unique and so is February 29, so it's fitting," Zoey's mum said.
She and Mr Fedoruk plan to celebrate their daughter's birthday on February 28 for the three years before the next leap year. Though, Mr Fedoruk might have been known to have considered one birthday party every four years 'wicked' good.
Mr and Mrs Ladd are thinking March 1, so both Mr Ladd and his son can celebrate birthdays in the same month.
Oliver is a first in many ways for his family - the first grandchild, and a great-great grandchild.
He is a dual citizen, and has family from the United States visiting shortly.
Eight babies is double the daily average for deliveries at Bendigo Health's birthing suites.
The public hospital welcomed a record number of babies into the world last year.
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