Saddle River Mom, Daughter Both Born On Leap Day

SADDLE RIVER, NJ (CBSNewYork) - About 200,000 Americans celebrate their birthday on Leap Day.

Michelle Birnbaum, of Saddle River, N.J., was not only born on Leap Day, she also gave birth to her daughter on the rarest day on the calendar.

WCBS 880's Alex Silverman On The Story

When a pregnant Birnbaum went to the doctor's office she asked for a double check on her due date.

"She said, 'Oh yeah, a lot of times we'll induce women before this date so you don't have your baby on that date,' and I said, 'Oh no, it's not a bad date,'" said Birnbaum.

What her doctor didn't know was that she too had been born on Feb. 29.

"You only have your birthday once every four years," Birnbaum told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman.

Birnbaum is turning 32 on Wednesday but is celebrating her birthday for only the eighth time on her actual birth date.

The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are about 1 in 1,500. The odds of a mother and daughter sharing that birthday are astronomical.

Birnbaum went into labor on Feb. 28, 2008, but her daughter, Rose, was born the following day.

Rose who is turning four, will be celebrating her first birthday this year on the actual date.

There are some practical problems involved with being born on Leap Day.

"I actually went online a few days ago to the American Girl doll site to register my daughter's birthday and it wouldn't register the Feb. 29 birthday," Birnbaum said.

She said Rose hasn't realized her predicament yet because they party on the 28th and the 1st every year.

Do you have a Leap Day tradition? Share it in the comments section below!