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Original poster

How was I born on the wrong day?

370 replies

PossiblyDreaming · 06/03/2022 23:54

I’ve always thought I was born on a Sunday which always made me feel very smug as a child whenever I saw that nursery rhyme that goes “Monday’s child is fair of face” etc until it gets to Sunday’s child and says how much better kids born on a Sunday are.

Anyway, I was recently filling out some online form where I had to put in my date of birth and it came up on a calendar showing that actually I was born on a Monday. I double checked it with another calendar and, yes, I was definitely born on a Monday. I didn’t think much of it but text my mum to tell her as I thought it was mildly amusing that she’s forgotten when I was born.

Except my mum is 100% adamant that I was born on a Sunday. She remembers it specifically as she made my dad run to the church to drag my grandparents out so that they could watch my brother while he drove her to hospital. My grandparents only ever went to church on a Sunday and my dad was a teacher so if it had been a weekday he wouldn’t have been at home when my mum went into labour. It was mid October so wouldn’t have been a bank holiday. It wasn’t a long labour, I was born a couple of hours later so it wasn’t like my mum was labouring overnight and I was born the next day or anything.

My mum is 70 and fully compos mentis but she can’t get my dad or her parents to corroborate as they’re dead. She is absolutely adamant that I was born on Sunday and now thinks that my birthday was recorded incorrectly and it’s actually the day before the day that I’ve celebrated all my life 😂. I’ve got the original copy of my birth certificate and it says the date that I’ve always thought it was.

I know it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things but it’s really odd. Is there any really obvious way that I’m missing that might confirm either way? Do I now celebrate my birthday the day before even though all my public records show it as being the next day?

OP posts:
Original poster
PossiblyDreaming · 07/03/2022 15:12

My birth certificate doesn’t have my time of birth on and it also says that I was born in a different hospital to the one I was born in. I was born in the small hospital in my town but it has the name of the larger hospital that covers all the nearby towns. My brother has the same on his birth certificate too so I assume this is standard though.

OP posts:
Frigginintheriggin · 07/03/2022 15:18

Registrar's can make mistakes.
My dgc year of birth was wrong on her birth certificate.
It was noticed within a day or two and obviously had to be redone.
Anything is possible, humans are fallible.

girlmom21 · 07/03/2022 15:19

@Frigginintheriggin

Registrar's can make mistakes. My dgc year of birth was wrong on her birth certificate. It was noticed within a day or two and obviously had to be redone. Anything is possible, humans are fallible.
But when you register a birth you're also asked to check it before you sign it
BluerThanRobinsEggs · 07/03/2022 15:20

I laboured over night with DS from his due date until he was born the day after. I registered him with the GP with the day I went into labour. DH registered him with someone else with the day after his actual birth. It happens Grin

MayorMargeret · 07/03/2022 16:13

@PossiblyDreaming

My birth certificate doesn’t have my time of birth on and it also says that I was born in a different hospital to the one I was born in. I was born in the small hospital in my town but it has the name of the larger hospital that covers all the nearby towns. My brother has the same on his birth certificate too so I assume this is standard though.
I've never heard of that before! So when and where you were born are not necessarily accurate on your birth certificate? I'd be interested to know if it is normal to mis-record place of birth.
Calennig · 07/03/2022 16:17

it also says that I was born in a different hospital to the one I was born in. I was born in the small hospital in my town but it has the name of the larger hospital that covers all the nearby towns. My brother has the same on his birth certificate too so I assume this is standard though.

I find that odd. DH was listed at the small cottage maternity hospital he was born at though he was transfered fairly soon. I'm listed at the hospital I was born as is DD1 though there were other hospitals nearish and my two HB children are listed at the addresses I gave birth at.

Frazzled2207 · 07/03/2022 16:30

Have to say I know the date and time of day my (both a bit after midnight) my kids were born but the actual day of the week I have to think about. On both occasions I went into hospital on a Tuesday but neither was born on the Tuesday.

diddl · 07/03/2022 16:55

I've just found a disc tag from when I was born (early 60s), which has my name, dob, time of birth & weight on it.

Hope your mum finds your hospital band Op-would be interesting to know if she's right or not!

emwithme · 07/03/2022 17:01

Time is only on a birth certificate where there's a multiple birth, in case of inheritance disputes. If you're a singleton you only get the date.

girlmom21 · 07/03/2022 17:01

@emwithme

Time is only on a birth certificate where there's a multiple birth, in case of inheritance disputes. If you're a singleton you only get the date.
Inheritance disputes?
Juno22 · 07/03/2022 17:02

Emwithme that isn't correct. My birth certificate has the time of birth on it.

BoredBoredBoredB · 07/03/2022 17:17

@Juno22

Were you a single birth in the UK? If so, it sounds like yet another mistake.

support.vitalcertificates.co.uk/article/53-what-information-is-on-a-uk-birth-certificate

“The full date of birth is stated for the person on the certificate. Under normal circumstances this will not include the time of birth. The only exception to this would be in the case of multiple births (such as twins or triplets) where the time of each birth will be added in the date section.”

Original poster
PossiblyDreaming · 07/03/2022 17:18

@Calennig I think it’s because although the hospital was in my local town it was a branch of the big hospital, if that makes sense. So it was like Plymouth Hospital - Ivybridge site but on the birth certificate it was just written as Plymouth Hospital.

OP posts:
Juno22 · 07/03/2022 17:24

Boredboredboredb yes, it was in the UK and not a multiple birth. I'm in my 50s though so maybe things have changed.

BoredBoredBoredB · 07/03/2022 17:28

@Juno22
I’m also in my fifties and nobody ever seemed to have much idea about what time I was born - well maybe to the nearest hour but certainly not minute.

BertieBotts · 07/03/2022 17:58

The time doesn't show up on the short birth certificate but it should be on the long one. That's the case for me and DC 1 anyway. The others were born abroad.

BertieBotts · 07/03/2022 17:59

That makes sense about the hospital.

Wasn't it common for registrars to be in the hospital in the past? That's what my parents said but perhaps I misunderstood.

Original poster
PossiblyDreaming · 07/03/2022 18:15

@BertieBotts it was only a very small hospital so I’m not sure if there was always a doctor there. My mum couldn’t have any pain relief as there was no one qualified to sign it off so I’m guessing it was just midwives/ nurses.

OP posts:
StCharlotte · 07/03/2022 18:53

@emwithme

Time is only on a birth certificate where there's a multiple birth, in case of inheritance disputes. If you're a singleton you only get the date.
Isn't it shown on Scottish birth certificates?
sodastreamer · 07/03/2022 19:02

I had my first dc in a standalone unit with just a midwife present, certainly no doctor and no registrar. His birth certificate has the name of the small town where he was born. This was a long way from the regional city based hospital though. Perhaps different if you give birth in a unit which is an off shoot of a larger hospital

Dinoteeth · 07/03/2022 19:38

You've just reminded me of MIL being convinced DH was born in a different hospital to what his birth certificate says.
It only came to light when we needed the birth cert for our wedding.

After it was pointed out and both MIL & FIL went - ah yes so he was. MIL occasionally retells the birth story and it gets still gets it wrong No he was born in x hospital.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 08/03/2022 14:45

My Mum went to hospital on Christmas Day but my DSis was born just after midnight so is Boxing Day baby. I think similar has happened to you.

SheWoreYellow · 08/03/2022 17:12

@girlmom21 time of birth would show who was the first born and therefore entitled to the big house!

girlmom21 · 08/03/2022 17:16

[quote SheWoreYellow]@girlmom21 time of birth would show who was the first born and therefore entitled to the big house![/quote]
Wow that's bonkers isn't it!

Original poster
PossiblyDreaming · 08/03/2022 17:18

@GhoulWithADragonTattoo my mum is adamant that I wasn’t born overnight. She was my birth partner when dc1 was born and I had 10 hours of “well, your brother was born 3 hours after my first contraction and you were born 2 hours after my first contraction so I’m sure baby will make an appearance soon”. If I hadn’t been in labour I would have murdered her.

OP posts:
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