A TORFAEN family has defied the odds to have a daughter, mother and granddaughter all born on the same date.

When Lowri Mary Edwards arrived into the world this week she shared the same birthday as not only mother Emma Watkins but also her grandmother, Sally Dixon.

Ms Watkins, of South Court, Pontnewynydd, had a due date of October 19 but was rushed to Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny on Tuesday once contractions began.

Newborn Lowri, delivered at 12.48am on Wednesday, October 12, now marks three generations of woman from the same family, who share the same birthday.

As news of the miracle birth spread around the hospital, the family were "overwhelmed" when told about the odds of this happening — a staggering 133, 225 to one.

After being discharged from hospital today new mother Ms Watkins recalls sharing a joke with her mum that Lowri would end up sharing both their birthdays.

“We have a joke that my mum has never had a birthday since I was born and now she has missed out on it for another year,” said Ms Watkins.

“When Lowri was born I was like ‘woah’ and everyone started Googling the statistics of it happening.

“It has been a really big shock and it hasn’t really sunk in. At the moment I just want to have a good night’s sleep.”

Grandmother Sally Dixon, 41, of the Trevethin area, has always shared birthday celebrations with her 23-year-old daughter and described the new arrival as "very special".

The florist, who was born on October 12, 1975, gave birth to daughter Emma on October 12 1993 at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport.

"My daughter and myself are really close anyway so it seems exactly as it should be,” she said.

"It has blown me away and I still can't take it all in [...] within the hospital everyone was calling us ‘the three years’”.

Until last year the mum and daughter pair had never spent a birthday apart, with the date of October 12 "shaping their relationship".

"I like to joke about it and say that I haven't had a birthday to myself since Emma’s birth and I can see the relationship between her and Lowri being the same," Ms Dixon added.

"Last year was the first birthday we spent apart. It was my 40th and I spent the second half of the day with friends. It was so surreal."

Child care assistant Ms Watkins gave special thanks to her mum, partner Shane Edwards and 'Auntie Janie' who supported her through the pregnancy,

“At the end of the day I have a new little life now and it all happened on my birthday," she said.

“Lowri is much better than a Pandora charm or a box of chocolates and in all my 23 years, she really is the best birthday present of all”.