More people are born on September 26 than any other day of the year, just nine months and 23 days after Christmas.

If your birthday is today, you’re certainly not alone.

According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, more people are born on September 26 than any other day of the year.

The figures show a high number of September due dates and an average of 2,000 births on the 26th of the month over the last two decades.

The reason, it is believed, is that more parents plan to have their children born earlier in the school academic year in September or October - hoping this will give their children an advantage in the classroom by being that little bit older.

Leah Owen, of Great Leighs, Chelmsford, is expecting her second baby this week.

She said she and her partner did not purposely plan for a September baby, just 17 months after her first born.

She said: “We didn’t actually plan to have a second baby this quickly. We have never been bothered about school years or when they are starting but I suppose it is a bonus.

“I’ll get to spend more time with him before he goes to school as he will be nearly five rather than four.”

Leah is all too aware that this is an extremely popular time to give birth.

She said: “I am worried about the fact that it’s such a busy time and they might not fit me in to the hospital.

“I haven’t been able to make any blood test arrangements or midwife appointments, even though I am 39.5 weeks pregnant, because it is all completely full. It is a nightmare.”

Karen Newbury, maternity outpatient service manager at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: “September is a notoriously busy month for babies being born, probably due to the festive season that takes place around nine months beforehand.”

New mum and finance director Kelly-Anne Byres was overjoyed when her baby Alice was born on August 15.

But in the back of her mind she was slightly disappointed that Alice arrived before her due date of August 28, just short of the September 1 school cut-off.

“I was praying Alice would arrive late as I didn’t want her to be the youngest in the school,” said Ms Byres, 30, from Rendlesham.

“I am worried because she will start school only two weeks after her fourth birthday so she will be really small compared to her peers.”

Despite the Colchester and Ipswich hospitals not seeing a significant spike, the midwives have still been really busy, said lead midwife at Colchester Hospital Teri Gavin-Jones.

“We go home at the end of the day completely exhausted but that is part of the job that we love,” she said.