STAFF at a Ponthir nursery are expecting not just one but four bundles of joy in the next two months, as four of their employees are pregnant.

Sadie Cooke, 30, from Pontypool, Kirsty Harris, 23, from Caerleon, Gemma Lewis, 29, from Newbridge, and Jessica Davies, 25, also from Caerleon, revealed one by one to their colleagues at Seren Fach Nursery in Ponthir that they were all pregnant, with due dates all within a range of two months of one another.

This week deputy manager of the private nursery, Becky Bennett decided it would be a fun idea to take this before snapshot and has planned to take another when the women all give birth.

The unusual picture, showing all four of the women lined up showing their bumps, included their due dates painted on using children’s black nursery paint.

None of the mums-to-be knows whether they’ll have boys or girls, which adds to the excitement, explained Miss Lewis, one of the deputy managers at the nursery.

“It was funny when we all found out,” she said. “We were all trying to make excuses as to why we weren’t drinking over Christmas.

“We all wanted it to be a surprise because there’s so many of us, it makes it more exciting if none of us knows.”

This will be Miss Lewis’ second child and along with partner Gareth Stinchcombe is hoping for a natural birth after her last child was born by C-section.

“My four-year-old son is really excited because he wants a sister, I don’t think he wants to share his toys,” she said.

There is plenty of support staff ready to step in when the four women go on maternity leave, said Miss Lewis.

In fact, just four weeks ago another of their colleagues gave birth to a son, said first-time mum Mrs Harris.

“We’ve all worked together for about five years at Seren Fach, and it just... happened.” said the 23-year-old qualified teacher, who is married to husband Richard, 29, and plans to give birth at Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital.

“I don’t mind whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as it’s healthy and happy.

“We have a team of cover staff at work and a lot of the after-school club staff are university students who have now finished for the summer.

“It’s a nice place to work.”