SAN ANTONIO — Did you check the calendar today? It's February 29 or Leap Day.
The day comes around once every four years. If it's your birthday: Are you one year older or four years older? The answer depends on whom you ask.
According to doctors at North Central Baptist Hospital, a baby is born every day, and Leap Day is no different. However, the odds of being born on Feb. 29 are high.
"Feb. 29 comes one in 1,461 days so the odds are pretty rare," said Dr. Ritu Dutta, an Obstetrics & Gynecology physician with Baptist Health System.
Those born on the rare date often come with a nickname such as 'leapers' or leaplings'. It's a title that was bestowed upon Tristan Elizondo and four other infants at the hospital on Leap Day in 2020. Four years before that, hospital records show a total of 15 leapers were born.
On Leap Day 2000, Adrian Arevalo was born over at Methodist Hospital. Today, he turns 24-years-old but in Leap Years he jokes it translates to 6-years-old.
"I definitely get the jokes. You know, they tell me that I'm probably the most mature kindergartener that they've ever met," said Arevalo.
He is also often asked when he celebrates his birthday on a non-leap year.
"I'll do March 1st because my mom was always like, it's not the 28th, it's the day after the 28th," he said.
Dr. Dutta said babies born on Feb. 29 do have the date listed on their birth certificates so legal documents aren't a problem for Arevalo. However, entering his birthday online is a challenge.
"For websites that request your birthday, they usually ask that you put the month and then the day and the year. I'll do February, I'll click on '29' and it will change to '28' so that's just a funny facet of daily life I guess."
According to the History Channel, there are about five million people who celebrate their birthday today. Does that include you? If so, Happy Birthday!