A 26-year-old woman with the rare Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, has given birth to a baby via cesarean section, the second time someone with this illness has done so in China.

The mother, who only gave her surname Tian, cannot move most of her body, except her right fingers to a small extent, as the disease attacks nerve cells that control muscles.

She entered the hospital in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, on May 2, when she was already 38 weeks pregnant. The next day, she went into the operating room at 8:45 am and her son came into the world about an hour later.

The baby boy weighs 2.9 kilograms and is healthy. He will undergo further genetic testing to determine if he has inherited the disease from his mother.

The baby was named Miduo, literally meaning "an abundance of millet". "They hope the boy could earn himself a living in the future," said Tian's mother-in-law.

The couple lead a hard life, as Tian helps process photos for others and her husband is a blind masseuse.