By Cindy Whitman
2024 is a leap year, which means there’s an extra day tagged onto the month of February—“leap day”—and an extra day to welcome the sweet, tiny bundles of joy who arrive at the Beaufort Memorial Collins Birthing Center. Although “leaplings” are considered a bit rare, the hospital has welcomed its fair share.
“I have delivered several babies in leap years,” recalls Dr. Gregory Miller, board-certified OBGYN at Beaufort Memorial Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists. “And though most people try to avoid it, on occasion, even when they have a choice, some people choose to deliver their baby on leap day.”
One of those parents is Ashley Gould Hutchison. Dr. Miller delivered Ashley’s daughter, Weslie, on Feb. 29, 2016.
“I never even thought about having a baby on Feb. 29 until it happened,” Ashley said. “I was induced on Feb. 28, but Weslie took her sweet time coming, and after 26 hours of labor, around 10 p.m. on Feb. 29, Dr. Miller said he wanted to do a C-section. He did tell me I would have a leap year baby and he said we could wait an hour or two if I wanted Weslie to be born on March 1, but I was ready. It didn’t matter to me that she would be a leap year baby.”
Claire Hardee didn’t have a choice when Theodore “Tex” Hardee Jr. arrived on Feb. 29, 2020, again attended by Dr. Miller. “My due date was March 7, but my husband and I had realized early on that leap day was a possibility and had joked about trying to induce that day just for fun,” Claire recalls.
A couple of months into Claire’s pregnancy, her family got the news that Claire’s husband, Theodore Sr., a Marine Corps pilot, would be deploying with a return date on or around her due date. “My new goal was to hold on until he returned, but Tex had other plans,” Claire says.
Dr. Miller, himself a Navy veteran, was on hand to congratulate Tex’s dad—by video chat—on the birth of his third son and fondly remembers the moment.
“I always feel a little sad for our armed services personnel who cannot attend the delivery of their baby, so if there is any way to have them connect, I am all in,” said Dr. Miller. “I greatly appreciate all these young people and their families’ sacrifice for us.”
“It was a special kind of celebration,” said Claire. “Even though my husband couldn’t be with me in person for the birth, that was a fun video chat with him and his fellow Marines all whooping and hollering and loudly incorrectly guessing how leap day birthdays work.”
So, how do leap year birthdays work?
If you’re Weslie, you’ll be 2 on Feb. 29. But you’ll be 8 in non-leap years, and since you love all things Disney, you and your mom will take a special trip to Disney World where you’ll meet Belle and have a special Beauty and The Beast adventure in the Enchanted Castle, with you playing the part of Mrs. Potts.
If you’re Tex, you’ll be 1 on Feb. 29. But you’ll be 4 in non-leap years, and your mom and dad will be throwing you a trash truck-themed birthday party at the local trampoline park (to incorporate some leaping, of course) in Yuma, Arizona where dad is now stationed – and where you found a new friend who was born on the very same leap day!
And if you’re Stephanie Higgins, a Beaufort Memorial physical therapy assistant and another leapling, you’ll be 14 on Feb. 29 because you were born on Feb. 29, 1968. But you’ll be 56 in non-leap years, and you’ll spend this birthday smiling as you flip through scrapbooks, quietly remembering your childhood leap year birthdays in Newell, West Virginia, and what a very big deal they always were.
“On non-leap years, I celebrated my birthday on Feb. 28at home with my family and friends,” Stephanie recalls. “These were small celebrations. But on leap years, they did it up big. East Liverpool, Ohio, was right across the river and the town always threw a big birthday party for leap year kids. We got all dressed up, there was a cake and decorations, and the newspaper would come and do a story and take pictures. It was fun. I felt special.”
Weslie feels special to be a leap day baby, too. She says she’s glad her mom didn’t wait for March 1 to come and get her. “I like when people are surprised when I tell them I’m going to be 2,” she giggles.
And Dr. Miller is glad to have played a part in so many leaplings’ special day. “I think it is pretty cool to deliver on a leap year,” he says. “I think it adds another interesting twist, a little magic, to the whole experience. Not too many people can say they were born on Feb. 29.”
