DOUBLE DELIGHT FOR SISTERS

THEY had been joking about it all through their pregnancies, but Shoalhaven sisters Danielle Harris and Chloe McLeod didn’t expect their babies would actually be born on the same day.

At 9am on February 10, Danielle gave birth to baby Anaya Madison Star and, six hours later, Chloe delivered baby Ryder Luke in the same bed, in the same ward at Milton-Ulladulla Hospital.

The siblings helped each other through their labours, with family members sharing in the double delight.

First to go into labour, Danielle arrived at the hospital at 2am with partner Andrew Neilsen and her sisters Chloe and Melissa, who is also pregnant.

Following the birth of eight pound five ounce Anaya seven hours later, she was moved out of the birthing ward.

Within four hours, Chloe went into labour already exhausted after being up all night with her sister, and two hours later baby Ryder was born weighing nine pound five ounces.

Danielle and baby Anaya joined Chloe’s husband Steve and their sister Melissa for the second birth.

“We joked through our whole pregnancies that we’d deliver on the same day, but we didn’t think it would really happen,” Chloe said.

“I’m still in shock.”

Danielle said the sisters were “famous” in the hospital following the eventful day.

“It was pretty crazy in there,” she said.

Both girls learned they were pregnant on the same day in June last year and have shared every step of their pregnancies.

Danielle now has four children, while Chloe is the mother of two.

“We always go in with each other during labour and have watched all of each other’s babies being born,” Danielle said.

Chloe said the sisters were close and shared a special bond.

“She always seems to know what I’m going to do before I do it,” she said.

The siblings grew up in Melbourne and both have lived in the Ulladulla district for about seven years, although Danielle recently moved to Old Erowal Bay.

The girls’ doctor Brett Thomson said the sibling double delivery was a first for Milton Hospital – at least in recent years.

“I can’t recall it ever happening before,” he said.

“For us it was a bit of fun because all through the pregnancy we predicted they would go on the same day and talked about getting a double bed in the ward.

“When they did come in on same day, it was a bit of a hoot for everyone.”