A DELIGHTED family experienced double the joy when two brothers became fathers to two baby boys on the same day.

Like many others, brothers Jason and Simon Law, both from Harwich, have endured the stresses of lockdown amidst the coronavirus pandemic alongside their loving families.

But they have contended with a certain degree of added pressure, with their wives expecting babies.

Simon’s partner Jess had a due date of June 18, but was rushed to Colchester General Hospital last Friday afternoon after she started bleeding.

Labour was induced and a healthy boy, named John Matthew, arrived at 1.29pm on Saturday.

Later that evening the couple discovered Jason, 37, and his partner Komal, 33, were also en route to the hospital after Komal began to experience contractions.

It was a much quicker experience for Komal, who arrived at the hospital at 10.30pm, with her healthy baby boy arriving at 10.38pm.

The couple have yet to settle on a name.

Kind-hearted hospital staff allowed the two recovering mums to spend the night in neighbouring beds with their bundles of joy.

Komal and Jason, who were already parents to Zayden, four, and Ruben, aged one, said: “We had a girl’s name prepared but didn’t know what the sex would be, so we’re still thinking it over.

“We’re very tired of course, it’s all been a bit overwhelming.

“By the evening Komal was having contractions and we said ‘we might be on the way to see you Jess’.”

Komal added: “When my brother-in-law came back to pick their son up, I started having contractions .

“From there it was just really quick.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen so quickly – luckily my bag was packed and everything was ready

“I was trying to hold out big time, I was hoping it would run through to the next day so he would have a different birthday.

“Staff said ‘if we’ve got space, do you want to be next to her?’

“So I stayed next to my sister-in-law that night – both babies and both mums were together.”

Jess, 35, had a difficult pregnancy, experiencing contractions throughout much of the week prior to her due date.

She had to spend much of her hospital stay without her husband because of safety regulations in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“The midwife was just amazing,” she said.

“It was a very scary time to be without Simon.

“But the support once at the hospital was the best, just second to none.

“The staff and the midwife kept calling him baby John, so that was a name we settled on.

“It makes me so emotional to think about it all.

“It’s overwhelming - this is my second child and my first, Jacob, who is eight, was a miracle as well.

“Two weeks before I found out I was pregnant he said ‘why don’t I have a brother, it’s so unfair.’

“He said ‘don’t worry mum, it will be my birthday wish.’

“He’s really wanted a brother and we’ve been trying, so it felt like fate when it suddenly happened.”

Simon, 46, said: “On Saturday night I came back to Jason’s place at about 7pm as my son was round there.

“Jacob couldn’t go to the hospital because of coronavirus and we couldn’t leave him with mum and dad, so he stayed with my brother and sister-in-law in the garden.

“I picked him up and she said she had started getting contractions as well.

“We later got a message saying her water had broken and she was going to Colchester Hospital too.

“I was thinking ‘oh my God, surely it’s not possible’, and I was sure it would at least be the next day.

“But the next moment he was here too.

“They do say Gemini are meant to be twins, they must have wanted to arrive together.

“It was very shocking, we were very surprised, it was just double the emotion really.”