‘One in 2.2 million’: Adelaide boy born on a leap day - just like his father

“Oh, I don't have a present for you on the 29th this year, but the baby is coming …” said new mum Alex. 

It’s the rarest birthday possible, but an Adelaide couple has made those odds even higher after their first baby was born on a leap day, just like his father.

Hugh made an unexpected arrival at 9:04am Thursday morning, born on one of the rarest birthdays on the calendar - a leap day. 

He arrived in the world three weeks early, giving his parents, Alex and Danny, a welcome surprise. 

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Alex and Danny welcomed their son Hugh on a leap day, the same day as Danny. Source: 9News

Baby and dad’s birth date is “one in 300 million”

But that wasn’t the only unexpected gift baby Hugh gave his parents. 

See, Hugh wasn't the only one born on February 29th, AKA a leap day - so was his father, Danny. 

Days earlier, Alex admitted to her partner that she didn’t get him a birthday present. 

“Oh, I don't have a present for you on the 29th this year, but the baby is coming,” she joked to 9News. “He said, ‘It's a big present.’”

True enough, she gave birth to their first child in the early hours of February 29 - a gift no money could buy. 

“He came today, and he’s healthy,” she said through fits of happy tears and a smile. “I’m so happy!” 

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Alex and Danny are overjoyed by their early arrival. Source: 9News

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The odds of being born on February 29th are pretty rare, with one in 1461 babies born considered a “leapling.” 

But baby Hugh and his father, Danny, share an extra special birthday, one that is rarer than expected. 

According to an Adelaide mathematician, the odds of a father and son sharing their birthdays on February 29 are extremely rare, with the chances being one in 2.2 million. 

And the incredible similarities don’t end there.

Danny and Hugh were both born in the Year of the Dragon, making the chances of being born on the same day even rarer: one in less than 300 million. 

“I still don't believe he's here, he's here today,” said Danny.

Originally published as ‘One in 2.2 million’: Adelaide boy born on a leap day - just like his father