Meet the first Croydon baby to be born in the 1980s as he turns 40
The man was born on New Year's Day four decades ago
Ellie McKinnell
Stephen's mum Carol gave birth to him at the very start of 1980
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Imagine not only being the first baby to be born at the start of a new year, but at the start of a new decade.
You might think that every year you'd have a big double-whammy of a celebration, toasting both the new year and your birthday with a huge party.
New Year's resolutions would mean more as they also signal a new age and maturity, plus you can be sure your birthday would never be forgotten by distant relatives.
Stephen has just celebrated his 40th birthday (Image: Stephen Bailey)
But Stephen Bailey, the first baby born in Croydon at the start of the 1980s, says his birthday isn't quite as over-the-top as you may expect.
The 40-year-old said: "I normally do something on New Year's Eve and do something the next day quieter than most people's birthdays, but I have a meal with family or something."
The special birth was reported on back in 1980 (Image: Stephen Bailey)
Stephen took to Twitter to share a newspaper clipping from shortly after he was born, which featured his mother and him as a newborn with the headline "Carol pips five other mums to the post".
He said: "As it's the start of a new decade it reminded me of the newspaper cutting.
"My mum always jokes about how she was looking a bit dishevelled as she's just given birth and didn't have time to freshen up."
The article reports how the Thornton Heath baby arrived at 9.30am on New Year's Day, weighing in at 7lbs 4oz.
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Stephen laughs off the idea that his title is any sort of achievement, saying it was just luck and nothing to do with him.
He does however admit that: "I joke about it being my humble claim to fame."