Natalie Repking is all smiles with daughter Alizabeth in her arms. Bill Grimes photo

EFFINGHAM, Ill. — It’s not every day a woman gives birth on her seventh birthday — especially when it was planned that way.

Born on Feb. 29, 1988, Natalie Repking’s birthday only comes around once every four years. But Leap Day this year was extra special because she gave birth to her second daughter — Alizabeth Louise.

“Once we knew her due date was March 7 and we knew we were having another C-section, we picked the 29th,” she said. “We thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing to have a shared birthday.”

Repking, a speech pathologist, gave birth by Caesarean section Monday. She said it was an easy decision to have the child a week early and she doesn’t remember any major hardship about having a leap year birthday.

“When I was growing up, we always celebrated it the day before or the day after if it wasn’t a leap year,” she said. “Everybody always asked me what it was like to be a leap year kid, but it wasn’t that awkward because it was all I knew.”

Grimes writes for the (Illinois) Effingham Daily News.