Louise Estes, Utah Woman, Has Third Leap Day Baby

Louise Estes, a mother from Utah, has given birth to her third consecutive Leap Day baby, equaling a record first set in 1968.

David and Louise Estes’ daughter Jade was born Wednesday morning near Salt Lake City, exactly four years after the arrival of their son Remington (born February 29, 2008) and eight years after their first son Xavier (born February 29, 2004).

The record was nearly missed, after little Jade was five days overdue. Doctors induced labor, and the family had their third Leap Day baby.

Was this a freakish coincidence? Well, not quite. Their first Leap Day baby, Xavier, was born on February 29th by chance, but their next two leaplings were the result of careful family planning. Proud father David told the Daily Herald:

“I approached her in October of 2010 and said, `If we are going to have another baby this would be really cool.’ I wanted to give her time to think about it.”

The only other parents to birth a trio of Leap Day babies were the Henriksens of Norway, who had February 29 births in 1960, 1964 and 1968. The family holds the Guinness world record for most siblings born on Leap Day.

As well as lots of publicity, the Estes family could make some serious savings in years to come – as a Leap Day only occurs once every four years, tradition dictates that a “leapling” may only celebrate their true birthday once every four years. But David and Louise insist every birthday will be celebrated, with a souped-up celebration on Leap Days. Said Louise:

“We always make sure to celebrate their fourth and eighth birthdays in a big way. It is a milestone for everyone.”

And will there be an attempt for leapling number four in 2016? David isn’t totally ruling it out:

“Right now the answer is obviously going to be no, but you can’t be sure. You never know if in four years we will be talking about it again.”

[Via Daily Herald]