A mother has beaten odds of a million-to-one by giving birth to a baby who appears to be of a different race.
Catherine Howarth, 32, from Milton Keynes, is Nigerian by heritage, and so was, at first, a little taken aback when she saw her son Jonah for the first time.
With his pale skin, green eyes and light brown hair, Jonah, now three months old, looks like any other new-born baby – but, when seen in his mother’s arms, his uniqueness is obvious.
‘Some children get darker after a few weeks when the skin colour they will have for life starts to become obvious. But you can see from the colour at the tips of their ears what that Jonah was fully white.
‘We have been told I must have been carrying a recessive gene. My parents were from Nigeria and, for as far back as anyone can remember; my family have all been black.’
Husband Richard, 34, was equally as shocked when he first saw his son, who is the couple’s first child together.
However, he was primarily just happy that Jonah was strong and healthy, after he got the umbilical cord tangled round his neck during labour – a potentially dangerous complication.
‘The colour of Jonah’s skin is of no concern – Jonah being a healthy and happy baby is what matters.’
The couple have been told that they are unlikely to have another white baby if they have further children, due to the extremely rare combination of genes needed.
‘And quite honestly, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether she is white or black or red or green. She’s beautiful and healthy, and that’s what is important.’