Britain's first test-tube baby on having a baby of her own 
Twenty eight years earlier, at Oldham General Hospital, his mother Louise Brown had made history when she became the world's first test-tube baby. Now, by having a child of her own, she is continuing the family line that her parents had been so desperate to establish. But if Cameron's birth at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol was an occasion for celebration, it was also a time of desperate sadness. For the previous day, the family had buried Louise's father, John.
John died from lung cancer just two days short of his 65th birthday. He never got to see his grandchild; he didn't even know what sex the baby was. But now, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Louise explains what Cameron would have meant to him and tells of the happiness a new life has brought to a family that was created in the most extraordinary circumstances.
Speaking from her home in Knowle, on the outskirts of Bristol, where she lives with her husband of two years, Wesley Mullinder, Louise says: "Cameron was due on January 2 but was actually born at 12.23pm on December 20. It meant we were able to keep the news to ourselves for a bit, which was nice. Now I think we're ready to introduce him to everyone.
"He's tiny, just under 6lb, but he's perfect. We were lucky in that Wesley and I were able to conceive naturally. We'd only been trying for about six months so it was obviously much easier for us than for Mum and Dad. I don't know if the fact that they tried so hard to have a baby had any effect on me but I have always wanted children. I worked as a nursery nurse for three years and I always knew that one day I would want to have my own.
"Lots of people have asked me if I had to do anything differently because I was born by IVF, but I didn't. I didn't have to take any extra precautions or have any extra checks. I was meant to have a natural birth but, as Cameron was breached, and they were worried about the amount of fluid in the womb, I had to have a caesarean.
"It's not how I'd wanted to do things but the main thing is that he's safe and healthy. You're allowed only one person into the operating theatre so Wesley waited outside and my mum was with me the whole time.
"They released me on Christmas Day at 3.30pm. We went straight round to my mum's in Whitchurch where my sister Natalie and her two children also live. We always spend Christmas there but this year it was very strange and very sad. Cameron was amazing though. He brought us some much needed cheer."
It's impossible to imagine the range of emotions that Lesley, now 58, must have been going through as she watched her daughter undergo a similar caesarean operation to the one she had all those years ago.
Louise's birth would make headlines around the world but for Lesley and John it was at its heart, a profoundly personal moment: the arrival of the baby they had wanted for so long. This time, however, John, a former British Rail engineer, wasn't there to share in the joy.
Louise says: "All Mum and Dad wanted was a baby and, one day, grandchildren. My sister has two children but it seems so unfair Dad didn't get to see Cameron. He was only two weeks short of meeting him. Because everything happened at once I don't know if it's hit me yet. I think I knew deep down that he was going to die before he saw his grandchild. I said to Mum, "I don't think he's going to make it."
"Dad was diagnosed with asbestosis seven years ago. It was probably from all the time he spent working on the railways inside the tunnels.
"Last August they said it had turned into mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer. I was due to have my 20-week scan. Before I went I said to Dad, "I'll find out what I'm having if you want?" but he said, "Don't worry, I'll still be here to see for myself."
"Dad was fine at the beginning. His breathing was a bit difficult but he could walk about, even though he had to take things pretty slowly. They told us that the mesothelioma was growing quite slowly but that it was also a very aggressive disease.
"He seemed to be plodding along quite nicely and then, on November 29, he had a stroke. It paralysed him down his left side, he couldn't see, couldn't speak, although he did still know who we were. He lasted eight more days and died on December 7.
"He was at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, which is five minutes from St Michael's. I had just been to the hospital for a check-up on Cameron. I didn't know it at the time, but they had phoned Mum to say that Dad was struggling and it might be a good idea to come and see him.
"But none of us made it in time. It was sad but he had suffered so much and when we saw him there he looked so peaceful. He hadn't looked like that for a very long time."
Louise is a down-to-earth girl who is loath to make a fuss, so she downplays the toll her father's illness must have taken. She does, however, admit that the pressures of the past few months might have had an affect on her pregnancy.
She says: "When Cameron was born people asked me if I smoked because he was so small, just 5lb 6oz. I've never smoked in my life. Then they asked if I'd been under a lot of stress as that can affect the weight of the baby, which I suppose I was really. It has been difficult for all of us. I tried to keep calm because I didn't want to upset the baby. Also if I got upset, then I knew Mum would get upset and she already had enough to be dealing with."
Now, however, Cameron is a much-needed source of comfort - a reminder of the father and husband they all loved so much. Louise says: "Cameron's got my Dad's feet, just like I have. They're very broad and have the same arch. And Cam also frowns a lot, like I do and just like Dad did.
"I'm the spitting image of my dad and now I see so much of my dad in Cameron. It has been the most amazing comfort. Dad would have loved him to pieces but in a way, he's still around. It might sound silly but I look at Cam and think half of my dad's in him. It's funny, but even though he's only three weeks old, it feels as though he's been with us forever. We're just really enjoying it and Wesley's really great with him."
In many ways Wesley and Louise are just like any other new parents. Wesley, a nightclub doorman, painted Cameron's nursery and, because he work nights, is able to spend each day with his young son.
Louise, an administrator with a shipping firm, intends to go back to work once Cameron is older. She admits they lead an unremarkable life, yet because of the remarkable nature of her conception Louise will always be a part of the public consciousness. The world has followed her through every milestone of her life, from her first birthday through to her 21st, from her marriage to the birth of her first child.
She was four years old when her parents first tried to explain to her the way she was born, telling her about her two 'uncles' - Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe - who pioneered the IVF process.
She says: "Mum and Dad told me just before I went to school, just because some of the older children might have understood who I was and might have said something. You know how cruel kids can be and I think they were a bit worried that people might say things to me.
"Some of them did shout "test-tube baby" at me and when I got older the kids did mention it. There was nothing specific, never anything nasty but if new children arrived at school they would point out who I was.
"Mum and Dad showed me the video of my birth, which was a bit weird, and they also explained how I'd been conceived. I don't know if I really understood what they were telling me. I'm not sure how old I was when I did understand, I don't know if you ever do get your head round it.
"When I was growing up I would think about it in more depth. When you're a teenager you think about who you are and where you're from - but now I suppose I'm used to it.
"I've had it for 28 years so I don't take too much notice any more - although it is quite annoying when people ask stupid questions. When Dolly the sheep was cloned, people kept calling me up asking to know what I thought - but why would I know about these things? I'm not a scientist. I don't know any more than the next person.
"I do think it's wrong to use science to choose the sex of a child unless it's for medical reasons but then everyone takes things too far, don't they? I wasn't approved of when I was born. Now when you look where we are and what we can do, it's really quite scary."
In another medical first, Louise's younger sister, Natalie, 25, was the first test-tube baby to have a child of her own. Her daughter Casey is now seven, and her son Christopher is five. Louise says: "My sister was born through IVF as well but it's not something we really talk about. We have normal lives.
"Everyone around here knows who I am but most other people don't realise any more. I can understand the interest. It's human nature, isn't it, to be interested in anything that's a bit different? But maybe this will be it now. I've kind of done everything haven't I? Got engaged, got married and had a baby. I don't suppose there will be much interest in me now until I die. Then it's poor old Cameron who will get all the hassle.
"When I had Cameron I'm not sure the staff knew who I was, although the surgeon did. He happens to be an IVF specialist who lectures on the subject. He came in the morning of the operation and he was so excited. He said, "I can't believe that I'm now helping you deliver your own baby.""
Although Cameron is just three weeks old, Louise says she is already looking forward to having more children. She might also consider IVF if she has any trouble conceiving. She says: "Yes, I probably would have it if I had to. I definitely want more children but it's so different now to when Mum was being treated. Now she says it's like a conveyor belt whereas when she did it, it was much more personal.
"Professor Edwards and Mr Steptoe were like family. Mr Steptoe died when I was ten, but before that we used to go and see him and his wife Sheena at their home in Oldham.
"And when I knew I was pregnant I wrote to Bob Edwards and told him. I didn't want him to find out from the newspapers. Bob and Dad were great friends and he called up to say how happy he was for us. He also came to my wedding. We are also friends with Grace McDonald and her son Alistair who was the first male IVF baby. They were both at Dad's funeral. It's like one big family.
"For now though, I'm happy with what we've got. We've been very lucky already. They say I was a miracle but, for me, so is Cameron."
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