Baby Demi saved after suffering stroke while in her mother’s womb

“We were waiting for the ambulance to take her to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but then the consultant came through and said, ‘We don’t have time to take you to Aberdeen’, and 20 minutes later Erin had an emergency caesarean.

“As soon as the cord was removed from Demi’s neck she was breathing on her own.”

He added: “We’ve got to be fortunate that Erin had the appointment when she did, because even [if it had been] the next day, it’s highly unlikely Demi would be here. There were loads of people in the theatre for all eventualities. There must have been 15 to 20 people waiting to see the outcome.”

Up until then, Mrs Addison had enjoyed a smooth pregnancy, other than early on the baby being in the breach position, which is not uncommon.

But, at her seven-month check-up, the midwife confirmed the baby had turned herself around. Mrs Addison said: “We think that’s when the cord got tangled around her neck.”

Medics did not discover this until the routine appointment a month later.

Using a tape-measure, the midwife at the local hospital discovered the baby did not appear to have grown in the last four weeks.

At this point there was no immediate concern, and husband Kevin drove his wife the half-hour journey to Elgin, where scans confirmed the cord was wrapped around the baby and compressed in a way that meant her oxygen and food supply was cut off.

Within half an hour of arriving at the hospital, Demi’s heart rate became erratic, making it a race against time to deliver her.

Demi instantly began to stabilise after her birth and was home after just 11 days.

But her parents soon noticed their daughter favouring her right side.

Doctors initially thought it was a muscular problem caused by the way she had been lying in the womb but when she was eight months old a physiotherapist recognised signs of hemiplegia, caused by a stroke in the womb.

Her parents are now awaiting the results of an MRI scan to confirm the extent of brain damage caused by the stroke.

However, Mrs Addison said: “She’s cheeky and she has so much energy. She’s just non-stop.”

To donate to Mr Addison’s bike challenge, visit www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/kevin-addison1

Picture: Michael Traill „ Demi Addison, with father Kevin and mother Erin, as the family are about to celebrate the toddler turning two after a dramatic birth.

„ Demi Addison when she was first born. Father Kevin plans to cycle the length of the country in nine days next month to thank the charity, Hemihelp.