I Was Told I Might Never Get Pregnant — But Now I Have Three ‘Rainbow Babies’ Who All Have The SAME Birthday
A mom who was told she might never get pregnant has beaten the crazy odds of 133,000/1 by giving birth to three “rainbow babies” – each with the same birthday.
Emma Smith, 42, from Warrington, Cheshire, felt she had ‘performed a miracle’ when her third son Arley Jay was born on June 20, as were older brothers, Alfie James, seven, and Jesse Joe, four.
The wedding planner suffers from endometriosis, a lifelong condition that affects the uterine lining and can tragically lead to the loss of babies during pregnancy.
And Emma — who was told to start a family early because of potential complications — had felt like “Bridget Jones” as friends around her gave birth.
So she was amazed when she welcomed her first son Alfie James in 2016 with her partner Dave Mycock, 39.
Emma Smith, who suffers from endometritis, beat the odds by having her three ‘rainbow babies’ (Photo LR: Jesse Smith, Dave Mycock, Arley Smith, Jesse Smith, and Emma Smith)
Emma and her partner Dave celebrate the birth of their eldest son, Alfie James, who is now seven years old
But the couple’s shock turned to disbelief after they gave birth to two more sons, Jesse Joe and Arley Jay, who each arrived on the same date, a few years apart.
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 bet on a horse with those odds you’d never think it would win, but we sure did – three times.
“It’s a complete miracle, it’s magical, and we just feel utterly and utterly blessed.”
“Whether someone looks down on us, or however you want to compare it, all three guys are a miracle in their own right.
“I often think when they’re older, when they go out together to celebrate, maybe they’ll say, ‘Mom wasn’t so bad, was she?’ She gave birth to us on the same day.”
Emma said there was no element of “planning” in the timing of the births and joked that the couple could “definitely” beat the odds again if they had a fourth child.
She added, “Everyone was laughing and joking, ‘It must be their wedding day!’ The only thing we’ve laughed about is that sometimes we go on vacation in September.
The couple’s second son, Jesse, pictured in the NICU. All of their sons are “rainbow babies,” meaning they were born after Emma had a miscarriage
The couple Emma and Dave introduce their two eldest sons Alife James and Jesse Joe to their newest addition Arley Jay
Arley (pictured) is the couple’s youngest son and, like his two older brothers, celebrates his birthday on June 20.
Brothers Alfie Smith (pictured, left) and Jesse Smith (pictured, right) celebrate their birthdays on June 20, along with their youngest sibling Arley Smith
“But there is no planning whatsoever. In practice, your body cycle changes anyway, so you couldn’t anticipate it.
“I think we can definitely go for a fourth and have a girl on the 20th next year. But Dave has said he’s ending it for good – and the answer is ‘no’.’
Emma was diagnosed with endometritis when she was 18 and underwent 10 surgeries to rid her body of the painful condition.
But unfortunately, it returned and became more aggressive after each procedure, and doctors told her she would have to have children early in life to give her the best chance.
Before having her kids, Emma says she was the “Bridget Jones” of the group as her friends around her had babies
In the years that followed, she’d watched longingly as loved ones raised children—believing she might never have the same opportunity.
She said, “I suffered the heartbreak of watching friends and relatives have children, adamant it would never be my turn.
“I was always the ‘Bridget Jones’ of the group, watching them have their kids and families and everything and really 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 unfortunately miscarried.
But she successfully gave birth to Alfie James at the age of 35, and a few years later, she became pregnant again with Jesse Joe in 2019 after another miscarriage.
BROTHERS: While she now has her three ‘rainbow babies’, Emma says she had ‘heartbreak’ as she worried it would ‘never be (her) turn’
Alfie and Jesse not only celebrate their birthdays on the same day, but also celebrate an 18th and a 21st on the same day (photo LR: Jesse Smith, Arley Smith and Alfie Smith)
Emma said, “Jesse’s due date was July 4th. So we thought, realistically, I was definitely going to have a July baby.
“But when he arrived on his birthday, Alfie was thrilled to have a little brother to share a special day with.”
Emma repeated the performance with Arley Jay, and the event planner, who runs her own business, has already begun to think about their joint birthdays.
She said, “It’s like having two Christmases because obviously that’s in December and we’re in the middle of the year, six months around.
“Alfie and Jesse actually have an 18th and a 21st on the same day.
According to Emma, it’s like having a second Christmas when all three boys have the same birthday
The couple (pictured) felt like Emma had accomplished a miracle when her third son Arley Jay was born on June 20, just like his older brothers.
According to Emma, the family birthdays have a numerical meaning as her birthday is May 11 and Dave’s is May 9, which makes 20
“So it’s a good job. I have enough time to save up and plan for it because it’s going to be a really big event for us as a family.”
Emma said she considered herself a “spiritual person” – revealing that there was a numerical significance to June 20 that related to her and Dave’s birthdays.
She said, ‘My birthday is May 11 and Dave’s is May 9.
“I said, ‘How ironic is this, our birthdays added together equal 20 and that’s really nice because that’s ‘Alfie’s birthday.’ So we’ll never forget – me plus you equals him.
“And then Jesse came along on the same date, and now Arley too. So me and Dave are equal to all three guys now, that’s how I see it.”