Emma Draycott, from Shrewsbury, with nine-week-old daughter Olivia, who is back home after an operation, with husband David and one-year-old son Charlie.

A critically-ill baby girl who had to undergo seven life-saving operations in hospital is now back safe at her Shropshire home making the happy ending her parents feared might never happen.

Olivia Austin, was born in November to mother Emma Draycott, of Castlefields, Shrewsbury, but doctors soon realised she had serious life threatening conditions including a heart problem called transposition of the great arteries.

They also found that her coronary arteries hadn’t formed properly either.

After major surgery in hospital over Christmas and the new year she has now finally been allowed to return home to her family, including her four brothers and sisters.

Miss Draycott said: “After she was born at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital they said she needed to be transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital but because she was so ill they had to send a special team of surgeons to Shrewsbury to operate straight away.

“She’s had seven operations and she’s had to have a catheter put in her body to find out if there are any further problems.

“She was very ill and was fighting for her life. She was actually on a life support machine.”

Miss Draycott said herself and partner Dave Austin had been extremely worried about their daughter but were delighted to have her back at home.

She said it was likely Olivia may need further surgery in the future and said she was still on a range of medications.

Transposition of the great arteries is a birth defect causing a fatal condition in which there is a reversal, or switch, in the truncal connections of the two main blood vessels to the heart, the aorta and pulmonary artery.

The overall annual incidence is 20-30 per 100,000 live births.

Olivia’s grandmother, Diane Draycott, of Mount Pleasant, Shrewsbury, said: “A couple of times we didn’t think she was going to make it.

“She’s back at home now after they gave her the all clear at the hospital but she’s still on lots of medication.”

By Russell Roberts