The two babies born at Rush arrived during the 2 a.m. hour. One was a day late, the other was a week early.
Roughly 200,000 Americans are born on Feb. 29, which is less than one percent of the total U.S. population.
"Leap year babies are a unique group," said Denise Banton, unit director of labor and delivery at Rush. "All babies are special, but this date only happens once every four years."
Kelly Arora and her husband were excited to have their first child born on the Leap Year date Wednesday. The nurses said that when Kelly came to Rush in labor, she and her husband kept talking about what a special baby they will have and how the date confirms it. The Arora family had a baby girl.
Another Leap Day baby was born in circumstances that defied the odds. Erica Austin of Shorewood was born on February 29, 1988. On February 28, 2012, she delivered her daughter, Arielle.
The odds of a mother and daughter both being born on a Leap Day are about one in two million.
