While everyone else lay asleep dreaming of what they would find under the Christmas tree in the morning, new parents were already celebrating the arrival of their bundles of joy.

By the time most people were sitting down for Christmas lunch, several babies had arrived at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Sonia Whymark, 26, had been told that her due date was Christmas Eve and her contractions started right on time, but it wasn't until 7.55am on the 25th that Benjamin Robert was born, at 7lb 13oz.

Mrs Whymark, who lives in Orwell Drive, Didcot, with husband Lee, was not convinced that a Christmas Day birthday would be a blessing for her first child, who faces years of joint Christmas and birthday presents.

Claire Elphick and her partner Ross Munro, from Dirac Place, Didcot, were not so prepared for the interruption of their Christmas. The couple, both 28, were expecting their son - whom they have named Kaylum - to make an appearance early in the new year, but Miss Elphick was brought into hospital early on Saturday. Kaylum Munro made an appearance at 8.36am on Christmas Day.

Miss Elphick, a carer, said: "He will have to have his birthday presents in the morning and his Christmas presents at night."

Other Christmas Day births were: 7.49am: Tracey Harris, from Watlington, gave birth to Mirrin, a baby girl weighing 7lb 13oz; 11.30am: Lesley Shaw, from Bicester, gave birth to Harry, who weighed in at 8lb 7oz and Maria Paddon, from Headington in Oxford, gave birth to a boy weighing 8lb 7oz; noon: Alison Stow, from Worminghall, gave birth to a girl weighing 4lb 7oz.