Baby Joy For Shark Attack Survivor Bethany Hamilton

Inspirational pro-surfer Bethany Hamilton has welcomed a baby boy.

The 25-year-old and husband Adam Dirks announced the news on Twitter and shared a first picture of the baby with fans.

'Blessed to welcome our son, Tobias, into the world! #stokedmomma,' she captioned it.

The couple gaze adoringly at the newborn while Bethany cradles him in the sweet family portrait.

Bethany, who became a global inspiration aged 13 when she climbed back on her surfboard after a brutal 2003 shark attack, revealed in February that she was having her first child with Adam.

The pair, who married in August 2013, informed fans about their unborn son with a pre-recorded interview from their home in Kauai.

She put her board away temporarily in the latter stages of her pregnancy but stayed active with ocean swims and hikes.   

Bethany admitted that her missing arm could prove challenging when it comes to her baby boy.

'Motherhood with one arm, I kind of think about it. I kind of forget I have one arm, a squirming baby and changing diapers and just me could be really challenging,' she said. 'But I think how I live life now. I just adjust and adapt to different things and I'll find my own ways to take care of the baby.'

At just 13, Bethany lost her arm - and a shocking 60 per cent of the blood in her body - when she was attacked by a shark while surfing off the coast of Kauai. Incredibly, she survived the attack.

In later interviews, she revealed she did not feel pain as her family rushed her to hospital.

Despite her injuries, Bethany did not give up on her surfing dreams, and began competing professionally four years later in 2007. In 2010, she was the 20th ranked woman among surfers.

Bethany's experience became an inspiration to many after she wrote about it in the book, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board.

The book was made into a movie with Dennis Quaid and Carrie Underwood in 2011.

Actress Anna Sophia Robb portrayed Bethany, but the surfer did all of her one-armed stunts.


Source: www.dailymail.co.uk