A handful of leap year babies were born to delighted mums at Ipswich Hospital’s maternity ward yesterday.

Ipswich Star: Leap Year baby at Ipswich Hospital. Carmen King and Dominic Flatman with baby (no name).Leap Year baby at Ipswich Hospital. Carmen King and Dominic Flatman with baby (no name). (Image: Archant)

The tiny tots will celebrate their first birthday in four years’ time.

Carmen King, 39, of Bramford, gave birth to a baby girl weighing 7lb 12oz. She’ll be called either Matilda or Aurelia, names inspired by dad Dominic’s love of Italian cars.

And Carmen said she always knew her youngest daughter would be a leap year baby.

“I’m not surprised she’s been born on a leap year. She’s gorgeous and already a little monkey,” she said.

“I always knew she was going to be a madam, and I predicted she would be born today – she was six days overdue. My due date was 23 February. It was either leap year or Valentine’s Day.”

Carmen’s little girl shares her birthday with two other babies born at the hospital today, but plenty of other mums were still in labour when we visited.

Alison Littler, deputy head of midwifery at Ipswich Hospital, said: “We’ve had some beautiful babies born today but it has been much quieter than usual. We’ve got lots of mums in labour so there could be some more arrivals tonight.”

Carmen was admitted at 1.20am and her daughter was born nine hours later at 10.20am.

And she’s already thinking about arrangements for birthdays, considering her daughter won’t technically have a first birthday until 2020.

“We’ll celebrate her birthday on 28 February each year – I don’t want to make her wait,” she added.

Carmen is mum to two other children, Michael, 13, and Charlotte, 19. Both were “really excited” to meet their baby sister.