You're more likely to win Powerball 100 times than do what this California mom did

Los Angeles Times

3 days ago

An Apple Valley mother just went 4 for 4 on her kids all being born on the date 7/7.
Just before Nauzhae Drake, now 26, delivered her firstborn, she called her mother while driving to school. She told her that she saw a license plate that ended in four sevens — her lucky number. Drake's mom took it as a sign.
'She was like, 'Yep, that's because he's coming on that day',' Drake said. 'And I'm like, no, he's not.'
But on July 7, 2019, Drake delivered her oldest, Kewan.
Two years later, on the same date, she delivered Na'Zaiyla.
And in 2022, on the same date, she delivered Khalani.
And about two weeks ago, on July 7, Drake delivered a baby boy, Kailowa.
None of her babies were induced and none of them arrived on their due date. Drake feels that it's a 'sign from God at this point,' she said.
Drake is currently in nursing school, graduating in December. She said she went through all of her clinical rotations carrying Kailowa.
'They're telling me to stop doing this and that because I'm doing a lot, they're like, 'you're going to make yourself go into labor,' ' Drake said. 'But I ended up finishing all of my clinicals and all of that, and I'm like, 'I'm still pregnant!''
Some mothers have tactics for inducing labor — eating spicy food, exercising, driving down a bumpy road.
For Drake, decorating for her kids' birthday party seems to do the trick.
'I would be doing a balloon arch,' she said. 'And every time I do the balloon arch, like two hours later, when I lay down, my water breaks or I start having contractions.'
Drake usually goes all out for her kids' birthdays, renting an Airbnb home with a pool and throwing a big party, along with visits to amusement parks like Sesame Place, SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo. This year's birthday party was circus-themed, but it didn't go as planned.
'My mother, my grandmother actually was in the delivery room with me and they had on like clown suits because they were ready for the party,' Drake said. 'And I was ready for the party too, until I went into labor.'
Some kids get jealous when a sibling's birthday rolls around and all the attention turns to the birthday child. Drake said her kids love sharing a birthday, and they're especially excited for this year's present, another sibling.
'They fight over him already,' she said, of Kailowa. 'They're so helpful. It's been amazing.'
So what are the odds of something like this happening? According to Randall Swift, chairman of the math department at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, you are more likely to win the Powerball lottery 100 times than to have four children born on the same date.
Instead of four siblings, he calculated using an instance of four independent individuals at a grocery store. The probability of these random strangers all having the same birthday is about 0.000000000056349%, he said.
But he said these odds may be higher for a mother giving birth on the same date, depending on personal habits and health patterns.
But to Drake, this coincidence is a blessing, she said. Seven has always been Drake's favorite number, but it has a new meaning to her now.
'It's perfection, completion,' she said.