Less than an hour before midnight, Leanne and Timothy Mount welcomed this year’s Christmas baby into the world — Ivy Lily Mount.

Speaking this morning, the couple said they had just finished Christmas lunch when Mrs Mount’s water broke yesterday afternoon.

“We had just finished up,” she said. “I thought I would get in a quick nap but she had a different plan.”

Mr Mount said that Ivy was due on December 22, but when that day passed they believed that she would hold out until after Christmas.

And on top of Ivy’s Christmas appearance, Mr Mount commented that the parents were dealt a second surprise when they found that their second child was a girl.

“We didn’t know if she was a boy or girl,” he said. “Everyone said it was going to be a boy, so we got an extra surprise.”

Ivy is 8lbs 7oz and a grand total of 52cm long. Thanking hospital staff, Mrs Mount said there had been a “celebratory” atmosphere in the maternity ward.

Asked about Ivy’s name, Mrs Mount said: “I loved it already. She came half an hour before Boxing Day, so we thought being a Christmas baby she should get a Christmas name.”

They added that later today they plan to introduce Ivy to her older sister, two-year-old Gabriella, who was born on Cup Match.