Mom Goes Into Early Labor, Resulting In Birth That Happens Once Every 33,000 Births

Jan 13, 2022 by apost team

Everyone loves a good baby story. This story from 2017 has a special twist that will guarantee to bring a smile to your face.

When Jordyn Eppard went into labor 17 days prior to her official due date of July 17, 2017, she was not ready for the little blessing. The Littleton, Colorado woman said that she wanted the baby to stay put as long as possible so that it was healthy.

Despite the early arrival, Beauden Matthew James was born perfectly healthy on July 1. What made his birth unique was the date of his grand entrance into the world. Sweet Beauden happened to share his July 1 birthday with both his father, Connor James Eppard, and his great-grandfather, James Elmer Morissette. What a crazy coincidence! Connor was born in 1990 while Morissette was born in 1931.

The couple described the harrowing experience of Jordyn's early labor in an interview with ABC. Connor told the news outlet:

“We just bought a house and moved in on the 29th, two days before, and I assume that probably had some stress levels that might have induced that a little bit."

He added that they had a checkup with their doctor on July 30 and it was scheduled to be their last ultrasound "and just a wellness checkup." The doctor completed the checkup and told them: "You guys should go across to the hospital. I think you're in labor."

The couple rushed over to the hospital and naturally, they were worried when Jordyn had gone into labor so early.

After some time, doctors had to break Jordyn's water when she hadn't progressed as expected. Then, because Beauden's head was stuck in the birth canal, doctors were forced to perform an emergency Cesarean section to get the baby out safely. Once he was born, Beauden weighed in at well over eight pounds. Everyone was relieved that the precious baby arrived unharmed.

Despite the happy coincidence that Beauden was born on the same day as his father's and great-grandfather's birthdays, Jordyn and Connor initially didn't want that to happen, since it would mean he'd be premature. They told ABC:

“We didn’t necessarily want him to be born two weeks early because there’s always risks ... When they started measuring the head we laughed about it maybe being a possibility because he was already so big, but when it actually started happening we were just like, ‘No way. This is crazy.’”

Jordyn said: "It’s just totally amazing. They are all so close." Once Beauden beat the odds and was born healthy on July 1, the family was overjoyed. Jordyn added:

“Connor and his grandpa are very, very close so they were all rooting for it. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. It’s very special for us. Him being born on the 1st is the cherry on top to this whole pregnancy.”

Once it had sunk in for Connor and Jordyn what had happened, naturally, they had to call Morissette and let him know too. Connor said:

“I called my grandpa and said ‘Hey, grandpa grab a seat for this one' ... He kind of laughed and I think he could (hear) Beau crying in the background. Next thing you know he was in the car driving down to the hospital.”

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Soon after he was born, Beauden received a special visit from his great-grandfather. Morissette told ABC:

“It’s beyond my words. It was so exciting. It was just hard to believe."

Connor's father Rik Eppard was the only man in the four generations that didn't get lucky with a birthday on July 1. He was born on Dec. 9, 1963 — "the wrong time of the year," joked Connor. Nevertheless, Rick was "beside himself, so excited," Connor said.

What's more, the surprise birth prompted Connor and Jordyn to change Beauden's full name. They said: 

“It was a last-minute decision ... We had the name picked out as Beauden Matthew, but when he was born on the 1st we knew we had to keep with tradition and throw a James in there.”

Statisticians place the odds of three out of four generations of family members sharing the same birthday at one in every 33,374 births. That means the rare occasion is one that's definitely worth celebrating. Connor told the news outlet that he and his grandfather celebrate together every year anyway. He said:

“We always have a huge 1st of July party,” before he added: “We get all the family together and we do a big barbecue or a crawfish boil, big seafood boil. Now it’ll be fun to have another reason to celebrate. It’s been a whirlwind.”

Meanwhile, Morissette said:

“I’m 86 now and I don’t know how many more birthdays I’ll have, but that’s a special incentive to keep going, for sure."

What an amazing birthday gift for both Morissette and Connor! We can only imagine how full of love their shared birthdays have been since Beauden was born.

The three Eppard men will surely have a special bond throughout the rest of their lives. Do you know even two people who share the same birthday? Let us know, then pass this on so others can read about it too!