Babies born on yesterday's leap day had an extra special birthday.

The children born on February 29, will only have a birthday every four years.

And new mums at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington, have already been thinking about when to celebrate their children's birthdays on non-leap years.

Annabelle Etherington, 31, of Chapel Lane, Northmoor, gave birth to a baby boy weighing 8lbs 6oz at 2.40am on Sunday, 29 February, at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

She said: "I fretted and fretted about the baby being born on the leap day.

"He was supposed to be born on Valentine's Day but he has chosen another special day to be born."

She said on most years, her son, who is as yet unnamed, would celebrate his birthday on March 1.

Ness Watts, 31, of Meadow Way, Kingham, near Chipping Norton, became the proud mother of Haydn, weighing 9lbs, at 8.15am.

She said: "I was quite shocked because he arrived two weeks early."

Charlotte Unsworth, 25, of The Slade, Charlbury, gave birth to baby Spencer, weighing 5lbs, at 3.45am.

She said: "Being born today makes Spencer even more special.

"Maybe we'll use his birthday as a bribe -- telling him if he's not good he won't get any presents."

Other mothers who gave birth to leap day babies included Bobby Falla, of Cuttleslowe, Oxford, who had baby Mya at 2.36am, and Debra Eggleton, 31, who gave birth to an as yet unnamed baby girl, at 4.27am.

Baby Alex, a boy weighing 7lbs 8oz was born to Lienza Phipps at 2.49pm.

THE age-old tradition of women proposing to their men on Leap Day appeared to have faded out in Oxfordshire yesterday.

Despite the best efforts by pubs and restaurants to encourage ladies to pop the question on February 29, there appeared to be few takers.

Yates's venues in George Street, Oxford, and Parsons Street, Banbury, hoped to be the venue for romantic declarations after the bar chain set up so-called Proposal Zones for plucky women. But their hopes proved futile.

Oxford manager Gary Horrocks said: We tried hard enough but no-one was willing to pop the question."

Two other venues willing women to take matters into their own hands were the Turnpike in Woodstock Road, Yarnton, and the Trout at Wolvercote, Oxford, but no-one took the plunge.