SOUTHAMPTON had a festive baby boom this Christmas with 38 mums giving birth in just 48 hours.

Staff at the city’s Princess Anne maternity hospital were kept on their toes across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with an unusually high number of women giving birth.

The maternity wards saw 24 women give birth on December 24, followed by another 14 babies who will now celebrate their birthdays on Christmas Day.

Among those born was Gavin Houldsworth whose mum Sharon Hughes, 27, was determined to celebrate Christmas at home before her son was born a week early.

“I was almost expecting a Christmas birth for him, but I was determined to watch Doctor Who first,” she said.

“After that I phoned my mum and dad and went in.”

Afterwards Sharon, from Millbrook in Southampton, and her partner Lee Houldsworth, 27, brought Gavin, who weighed 6lb 11oz, home to meet older brother Luke, seven, and sister Erin, five.

Also celebrating the birth of their Christmas baby at the Princess Anne Hospital was Veronica Amos, 33, and Paul McIntosh, 29, with the arrival of their daughter Lily.

Veronica, from Maybush, gave birth to Lily, who weighed 7lb 9oz, at 10.40am on Christmas morning, four days after she was due to arrive.

“It has been a very different Christmas. I have three boys at home so it’s nice to have a daughter,” she said.

The hospital is normally expected to handle an average of around 14 deliveries a day and this year’s festive surge comes after birthing numbers are increasing around the country.

“It has been noticeably more busy here this year,” said operational co-ordinator Pauline Ferns.

“Normally we have a lot of births around August because that is nine months after Christmas. But I don’t know what was happening nine months ago in Southampton.

“Sometimes you do just get one of those busy days and this Christmas has been incredibly busy.

“I don’t remember another Christmas like it.”

Pauline praised the efforts of midwives and hospital staff who worked around the clock with all mums giving birth to healthy babies.

In Winchester’s Royal Hampshire County Hospital three mums celebrated the birth of their babies.

Navashen Dubey was born at 7.32am weighing 9lbs 3.5oz for mum and dad Anita and Daya Dubey from Eastleigh.

Amy Newton and Tim Bailey from Bishop’s Waltham were also among those who welcomed a new addition to the family on Christmas Day with Matilda Bailey arriving at 10.55am weighing 6lb 14oz.