Arabella was expected in January but was more than two months old by that time. She arrived 14 weeks early at Southmead Hospital, in Bristol, on November 1.

Now weighing 5lb 3oz, she was able to return home with proud parents Andrew Davies, 28, a groundsman, and Katy Pheiffer, 27, of Dowding Drive, Calne, who already have a five-year-old Jordan, on January 20.

Make-up artist Miss Pheiffer said: “We have had our ups and downs with her over the last couple of months but we are so happy to have her home.

It’s amazing, especially as they told us she was probably going to die.”

South African Miss Pheiffer had originally gone into labour at 24 weeks, before giving birth by emergency caesarean section.

She said: “I was in total agony for two weeks before she was born, having contractions every three minutes. She was tiny when she came out.

She was so small you could hold her in one hand.”

Arabella had a number of problems, including a dangerous stomach infection and chronic lung disease.

She was placed on a ventilator for 24 hours before managing to breathe on her own and she was put in an incubator. But, while babies born so early normally stay inside the incubator for an average of 81 days, Arabella was out after just 10 days.

Miss Pheiffer said: “The doctors have been calling her super baby at Southmead Hospital because of the way she has been fighting. We will still have to be a bit careful with her because of her breathing, but because she did not need too much intervention she is quite healthy.

“It has been a pretty tough time on us all. We have been at the hospital from first thing in the morning to midnight.

“Jordan has had to stay with family and it has been hard financially with all the travelling and all the work we’ve missed.

“But when they told us she could come home it was amazing, we couldn’t believe it, and we’re so happy.”