Special deliveries are double joy for sisters

As revellers welcomed in the New Year with fireworks displays and parties, parents at hospitals across the West Midlands had another reason to celebrate.

Delighted mothers and fathers welcomed new members into their families in the first day of 2014, whilst siblings Nicola and Rebecca Kinsella gave birth to bouncing baby daughters on two very special dates – New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve.

The sisters beat all the odds to give birth exactly a week apart amid a flurry of landmark celebrations for the family.

Just hours after giving birth to Mia-Rose on New Year's Eve, Nicola celebrated her own 25th birthday yesterday.

While Rebecca, who recently turned 21, gave birth to 8lbs 10oz Evie-Rose at 9.29pm on Christmas Eve – Nicola's due date.

The pair from Rugeley, who grew up in Heath Hayes, Cannock, found out they were expecting in May last year, but each kept the pregnancies secret as it was around the same time of their parents 25th Annette and Stephen's wedding anniversary.

When Rebecca and her partner Craig Woollaston, aged 25, broke their news first, a stunned Nicola then revealed she was expecting her second child with her partner Tim Hemmings, aged 28.

They also have a son Harley, aged 23 months.

Mia-Rose was born at 10.01am on New Year's Eve weighing 8lbs 7oz.

Nicola, of Springfields Road, Springfields, said: "It's been really exciting, overwhelming and hectic all rolled into one for us."

The sisters, are both care workers and former pupils of Chasetown High School in Burntwood.

Rebecca, of St Thomas Way, Brereton, said: "We were close before, but the pregnancies have brought me and Nicola closer."

Yesterday, there was no waiting around for hasty newborn Owen John who arrived at Walsall Manor Hospital within an hour of his mother going into labour.

Mother-of-three Katie Maxwell was all smiles when he arrived weighing 7lbs and 6oz.

Her first two children Lauren, aged six, and Joseph, aged four, were induced births following difficulties.

A relieved Mrs Maxwell, aged 25, of Glastonbury Crescent, Mossley, Bloxwich, gave birth to her second son at 4.37am in a straight forward delivery this time round.

She said: "It's a great start for the new year for me and my husband Chris."

Meanwhile, Gemma Hopkinson, 16, of Tantarra Street, Chuckery, welcomed her Oscar Lucas into the world at 1.30am at the hospital.

She said: "It's a lovely New Year's Day present because he was three days overdue.

"I'm really looking forward to bringing him up.

My mom and my boyfriend Xenon were with me at the birth, but they didn't have to do a lot because he came really quickly," she added.

Oscar, who weighed 8lbs and 2oz, is now the fifth generation of Gemma's family.