'I beat crazy odds by having three rainbow babies

Emma Smith, 42, a wedding planner from Warrington, said she beat 'crazy odds' by having three rainbow babies who all share the same birthday

One mum beat "crazy odds" by having three ‘rainbow babies’ - each with the same birthday.

Emma Smith overcame odds of 133,000/1 and said she completed a "miracle" when she gave birth to her third son Arley Jay. He was born on June 20 - sharing the exact same birthday as their older brothers Alfie James, seven, and Jesse Joe, four.

The 42-year-old wedding planner from Warrington, Cheshire, suffers from endometritis, a lifelong condition affecting the womb's lining that can lead to the loss of babies during pregnancy. Emma was warned that if she wanted to have a family, she’d need to have kids early due to the possible complications.

But she was then left gobsmacked when, aged 39, in 2016, along with partner Dave Mycock, she welcomed her first son Alfie James. Then the couple’s shock turned to disbelief after they had two more sons, Jesse Joe and Arley Jay, who each arrived on the same date, separated by a few years.

Amazingly, her boys are all 'rainbow babies' - a term given to a child born immediately after a miscarriage - which she says makes them even more "remarkable". Emma said: "If you were to put a bet on a horse with those odds, you’d never think it would come in as a winner, but we certainly have - three times. It’s a complete miracle, it’s magical, and we just feel completely and utterly blessed.

"Whether someone’s looking down on us, or however you want to equate it, all three boys are a miracle in their own right. I often think when they’re older, if they go out to celebrate together, they'll maybe say, ‘Mum wasn’t too bad, was she? She brought us into the world on the same day.’"

Emma said there was no element of "planning" in the timing of the births and joked the pair "could definitely" beat the odds again if they had a fourth child. She added: "Everybody’s laughed and joked, ‘It must be their wedding anniversary!’ The only thing we’ve laughed about is we do sometimes go on holiday in September.

"But there’s no kind of planning. Practically, your body cycle changes anyway, so you couldn’t plan for it. I think we could definitely go for a fourth and get a girl on the 20th next year. But Dave has said he’s definitely putting a stop to it - and the answer’s ‘no’."

Emma was diagnosed with endometritis at 18 and underwent ten operations to try and rid her body of the painful condition. But sadly, it returned and became more aggressive after each procedure, and doctors told her she would need to have children early in her life to give her the best chance.

She said: "I suffered the heartache of watching friends and family members having children, adamant that it would never be my turn. I was always the 'Bridget Jones' of the group, watching them having their children and families and everything and genuinely never thought it would happen for me."

Emma later met carpenter Dave and together they decided to try for a family, suffering an initial setback when she sadly suffered a miscarriage. But she successfully gave birth to Alfie James at the age of 35, and a few years later, she again fell pregnant with Jesse Joe in 2019 following another miscarriage.

Emma said: "Jesse’s due date was July 4. So we thought, realistically, I was definitely having a July baby. But when he arrived on his birthday, Alfie was really happy that he was going to have a little brother to share a special day together."

Emma went on to repeat the feat with Arley Jay, and the events planner, who runs her own business, has already begun thinking about their joint birthdays. She said: "It’s like having two Christmases because obviously that is in December, and we’re smack bang in the middle of the year, six months round. Alfie and Jesse will actually have an 18th and a 21st on the same day. So it’s a good job I’ve got plenty of time to start saving for it and planning for it because it going to be a really big event for us as a family."