Christmas is the month of festivities, fun and eating delicious food, and the festivals bring extra expenses too.
Michala McMillan’s daughters Holly and Poppy Crowther are born on Christmas Day, Holly in 2014 and Poppy a year later. The mom was told she beat odds of 130,000 to one.
Michala was so busy in preparing for their birthdays and Christmas all at once. And things got so expensive the girls’ dad ‘donated’ his June birthday – so they can split costs and they don’t miss out come Christmas Day.
Michala, from Bury, Greater Manchester, told to Fabulous Digital, “It’s crazy.
“We used to do all the presents on the one day so there was a trampoline for their birthday with banners on it and then separate Christmas presents.
“I worried that they would miss out but then their dad, Paul, officially donated his June birthday to them – so they could celebrate twice, in June and at Christmas.”
The 41-year-old customer service adviser added: “We have a big party on Paul’s birthday on June 4, when people bring presents for all three of them.
“The girls loved it, when they were little, they believed they had two birthdays, just like the Queen.
“For me, it’s just a chance to celebrate and to be together as a family, which is always lovely.
“This year, we’re planning to mark their birthdays again on Christmas Day, Holly will be five years old, and Poppy will turn four.
“It will be hectic, but we’ll have a party a couple of days before so they don’t get lost in all the festivities and we will have separate piles of presents.
“I think I will spend almost £1,000($1200) on the girls’ joint celebrations. And I imagine as they get older, it will get dearer and dearer each year.”
Before meeting Paul, Michala had two kids Ryan and Olivia from her previous relationship, while he is also dad to sons Tyrone and Nathan.
She said: “We wanted a baby together so when I fell pregnant, midway through 2014, we were thrilled.”
Her due date was January 26, 2015. But the pregnancy had some complications after Michala’s first child. A little girl tragically died from an embolism at just four weeks old in 1996.
She said: “I was always anxious throughout the pregnancy, and I had low blood platelets. So the doctors decided to induce the birth early, on December 22.”
After three days’ labor pain, she ended up giving birth on Christmas Day. And delivered her daughter Holly because of the festive date.
She said: “It was so lovely. I was allowed home on Boxing Day and it was the best Christmas I could have wished for, obviously, I had no idea at all it was going to be repeated.”
To her surprise, Michala fell pregnant again just three months later – with a due date of January 17.
Once again, her platelets were low so she was induced three days before Christmas.
Michala said: “This time, I was desperate to get home for Christmas Day, but again, the labor dragged.
“I was going to call the baby Evie, so I wanted her to come on Christmas Eve.
“But the baby had other ideas, and she arrived at 2 am on Christmas Day 2015, weighing 5lbs 5ozs. So we decided to call her Poppy instead.
“I felt a bit upset being in the hospital as I was missing Holly’s first birthday and Christmas. I couldn’t believe it was happening again. I said to them ‘I can’t have another baby on Christmas Day’.”
Michala and Paul ended their relationship when Poppy was four months old, but they share good friendship.
The mom said: “It’s very special having two babies born at Christmas. I am certainly not having any more babies, so these two are my Christmas miracles.
“They are very close, best friends, as well as sisters and Christmas, now is double the fun.
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