Research by the Office for National Statistics has predicted a spike in the number of babies born this Thursday. Thanks to couples having sex on Boxing Day, 2000 babies are anticipated to arrive in the UK.

Ordinarily, the average number of babies born each day in the UK is around 1800.

A peak in late September birthdays is typical each year, showing that more babies are conceived in the days around Christmas than any other time of year. Many midwives speak of the madness that September brings, with 33-year-old midwife Mhairi Maharry jokingly tweeting:

“How is it only the 5th of September. I can’t take 25 more days of this. If you know or love a midwife, PLEASE STOP SHAGGING AT CHRISTMAS.”

It's not just Brits who make the most of Christmas, our friends in the US and New Zealand show a similar trend.

Why 26th September? It's thought that couples having time to relax over Christmas is the main reason, with parents planning babies' who are the eldest in their school year also contributing.