Families overjoyed with Christmas Day births as 24 babies are born across Suffolk and north Essex

Christmas Day Babies at Ipswich Hospital Baby O'Driscoll with parents Romilly and David

Three girls and three boys were born at the hospital on Christmas Day.

Kevin and Donna Theron welcomed Spencer James into the family just after 6.30pm while Romilly Norman, aged 38, and David O’Driscoll, 37, also celebrated the birth of a son and are deciding on a name.

Miss Norman, said: “It was a bit of a surprise because he wasn’t expected to be born until New Year.

“He weighed 7lbs 14oz and is quiet and sleeps well, which is a bonus. He’s been really good.

“All our family have been so over the moon.”

Pauline Barr, aged 36, and partner Paul Johnson, 33, are also waiting to decided on a name for their first child, a son born just before 3pm, but Miss Barr was pleased he was born on Christmas Day.

“He was 13 days overdue,” she said. “When we knew it was going to get close to Christmas Day we were quite happy.”

Although she said it was special for their child to be born on December 25 Miss Barr added they had no plans to give him a seasonally-inspired name.

Among the girls born in Ipswich was Matilda Elizabeth to Georgina Fosdike and Michael Bebbington.

A total of nine babies were born across north Essex on Christmas Day.

Three were born by 10am, with a further three mums in labour by early afternoon.

But a late surge meant nine babies arrived across Colchester Hospital University Foundation NHS Trust’s sites in Colchester, Clacton and Harwich by the end of the day.

West Suffolk Hospital had an early rush with eight babies arriving before mid-afternoon, including some born much earlier than expected, prompting some predictions the ward may hit double figures this year.

But only one more arrived later in the day, with Melanie Thompson, of Sudbury, giving birth to a girl called Katherine at 11.26pm, weighing in at 8lb 5oz.