MISS D, the teenager at the centre of a High Court abortion row last year, has spoken of her joy of giving birth to a healthy baby boy.

The 17-year-old gave birth just last week to a 6lb 14oz boy after going into labour two weeks' prematurely.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, she said her son does not replace Jasmine, her daughter who was suffering from a fatal brain condition.

And she spoke of the rush of love she felt for her son the first time she held him.

"I was exhausted, but the tiredness went away straight away when I was handed the baby," she said as she cuddled him.

"It was just amazing when I held him. I didn't expect such a feeling because of what went wrong the last time. But it was just incredible."

The young woman made headlines last May when she fell pregnant by her long-term boyfriend while in the care of the Health Service Executive (HSE). A scan revealed the baby was suffering from the fatal brain condition anencephaly but health chiefs told her she would be prevented from travelling to England to abort her baby.

Miss D -- who cannot be identified for legal reasons -- went to the High Court and won permission to travel to England where her daughter Jasmine was induced.

Last September she revealed that she was pregnant again

Recalling when she went into labour, on April 8, she said she was in pain the previous night but wasn't sure if she was going into labour.

"I didn't want to go to the hospital because I thought I was in labour a few times before and I wasn't," she said.

Pressure

"I had lots of pressure pains but they didn't feel like contractions. Eventually we called an ambulance and my mother and boyfriend went into the hospital with me."

She said she was already four centimetres dilated when she arrived at the labour ward and was in labour for a eight-and-a-half hours.

Her boyfriend, who she has been dating for three-and-a-half years, was there for the duration of her labour to give her moral support, as were the two grandmothers.

"I wasn't expecting any feeling in particular afterwards but when they threw him up in my arms it was amazing. He was just gorgeous."

However she said that she also felt sad after the birth.

"I felt a little bit guilty because it was my second labour," she said.

Her 20-year-old boyfriend has also spoken of his joy at welcoming his first son into the world, saying he wouldn't have missed the birth "for the world".

"I'm so delighted. He's a pet," he said from their home in the north-east.

"The labour was scary and I didn't really believe I was going to be a dad until he was born. I was just stuck for words afterwards, I didn't know what to say or do, it was just unbelievable."

The couple have also had to deal with the upheaval of moving house. Previously they had been living in an apartment, but last Monday -- just six days after the birth -- they moved into a three-bedroom house which Miss D describes as their "home forever".

However she admits that she is likely to be over-protective of her son.

"He was sick earlier this week, just after we moved into the house. He was vomiting and the doctor told us that he needed an operation. But we brought him straight to the hospital and the pediatrician said he was fine, that it was just reflux that was causing him to vomit."

She said her family are already fighting over who gets to babysit him as he is the first grandchild in the family.

"The grannies are obsessed with him, they're really really good to him," she said.

Happiness

"They're already fighting over him all the time because he's the first grandchild on both sides. They're trying to get us to go out all the time," she laughed.

However she said that despite her happiness, she will never forget Jasmine, her firstborn.

"This baby is not replacing Jasmine," she insisted as she cuddled the sleeping baby.

"I love them both just the same."

She said she goes to visit Jasmine's grave regularly and often lights candles for her in the church.

"He's going to know all about her because she was his big sister."