The moment when your newborn is first placed in your arms is surely unforgettable for any parent. However, Wrentham mum Lauren Heaney is grateful that she has now been able to hold her daughter Marlie’s hand, six days on from the baby girl’s birth.

"She’s a fighter," said proud mum Lauren, 32. "She’s defied all odds."

Parents Lauren and Alfie with baby Marlie in her incubator. (Image: Lauren Heaney)

Lauren and her partner, Alfie Wright – who are also parents to one-year-old Harper – didn’t realise that anything was amiss until Lauren was five months pregnant with Marlie.

At their 20-week scan, they were told their unborn baby had a severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a condition in which organs move into the chest through an opening in the diaphragm and can prevent the lungs from developing normally.

"We left that hospital believing she was going to die," said Lauren. This was particularly triggering, as Lauren lost a stillborn baby girl four years ago.

Subsequent tests confirmed Marlie’s hernia, and Lauren and Alfie were told the condition was life-threatening and their baby had a 50% chance of........

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