Elizabeth Banks and her husband have welcomed a baby son into the world.

The '30 Rock' star - who is married to sports writer and producer Max Handelman - has revealed the couple have become parents to baby Felix via a gestational surrogate after struggling to conceive naturally with her "broken belly".

Writing on her blog, she explained: "I have been very fortunate in life both professionally and personally. I have had untold number of opportunities to work with inspiring people, on great projects as an actress, and I have had a fantastic long term relationship of nearly 20 years with my now husband, Max.

"The one true hurdle I've faced in life is that I have a broken belly. After years of trying to get pregnant, exploring the range of fertility treatments, all unsuccessful, our journey led us to gestational surrogacy: we make a 'baby cake' and bake it in another woman's 'oven.'"

"From that came two miracles. The first was meeting our carrier and her husband who were truly humbling in their decency and generosity. And the second miracle was the birth of our baby boy, Felix Handelman."

Elizabeth explained the couple decided to name their new son Felix because of its Latin meaning - lucky - and joked she will be "changing dirty diapers" for the foreseeable future.

She added: "Felix means 'happy' and 'lucky' in Latin. And true to his name, Felix is a very happy baby and a blessing on our life.

"Thanks to all our friends, family, and fans for your support. If you need me, I'll be changing dirty diapers and trying to get some sleep."