THERE were 17 babies born on Christmas Day in Bradford and the wider district.

It was festive joy for 11 mothers at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), while half a dozen were welcomed to the world at Airedale Hospital.

Shamaila Hussain, 30, was one of those 11 at BRI, giving birth to daughter Amaya Khan at around 6:46am.

She said: "It was magical, there was a lovely atmosphere and it was just really nice.

"It's so different, this is my third child, everybody's spirits were high, so it was just such a wonderful experience."

Amaya was due on Thursday, January 2, but she made an appearance just over a week early and was the second baby to be born at BRI on Christmas Day.

As Amaya gets older, Mrs Hussain admits the big day might be slightly different for the family now.

She said: "Normally, we wouldn't have a birthday cake on Christmas Day, but now we will.

"It's absolutely amazing, it's the best feeling in the world."

The T&A spoke to the mother of another Christmas Day baby on the day itself.

Read more about that here...