‘Our Miracle baby is a little fighter’

Back in February, the Standard spoke to Kaycee’s mother Joanne about her fight for survival.

Born on 23rd December last year, Kaycee was so fragile that doctors warned her parents to expect the worst - but now, after a long battle, Kaycee and family are looking forward to celebrating her first birthday and first proper Christmas at home.

Joanne said that not being able to bring her daughter home for the first five months of her life while she was in hospital was very difficult for the family.

“She was in hospital until May and then went back in September for an operation to have her bowel put back in,” said Joanne. “Not having her here was awful.”

“I’m a first time mother, so I didn’t know what it felt like to be a mum.”

Kaycee’s father Ashley added: “It was terrible - we couldn’t bond because we couldn’t hold her for the first three months because she was in an incubator.”

“At times it didn’t feel like we had a daughter.”

When Kaycee was just six weeks old, she suffered a perforated bowel and underwent an operation. The family have also just learned that she suffered a bleed on her brain when she was born and is awaiting an MRI scan.

Her heart has also stopped twice in her short 10-month life.

But now, the Brown family are over the moon that Kaycee is finally on the mend.

“It’s so nice to have her home now so we can be a proper family,” said Joanne.

“We’d really like to thank the nurses at Lincoln and Sheffield and all of our family and friends for sticking by us and keeping us strong.”

Ashley said he was very proud of his little girl and was looking forward to treating her this Christmas.

“When she was first born, we were told to take every day at a time and prepare for the worst,” he said.

“There were days when we thought that she might not pull through, so to be here celebrating her first birthday and proper Christmas is amazing.”

He continued: “She’s going to have a big birthday and brilliant Christmas.”

“Everyone already spoils her rotten - especially her grandparents.

Ashley added: “For her birthday we’re going to take her back to Lincoln Hospital to show the neo-natal nurses how well she’s doing and thank them for everything that they have done for us.”