Our baby girl weighed less than a bag of sugar when she was born

She has spent the past 13 weeks in hospital, where her proud parents Wayne and Jennifer Little say she is now going from strength to strength.

Now weighing over 4lbs, the couple hope it will be just a matter of weeks before they can take their precious little girl back to their home in Pensnett, Dudley.

Daisy-Mae's father Wayne, who is a firefighter for West Midlands Fire Service, has been charting her battle on a Facebook page.

It now has more than 10,500 followers, with messages of support flooding in from across the world.

Jennifer, who is a property lawyer at Talbots in Stourbridge, was just 25 weeks into her pregnancy when she started to experience stomach pains.

Deciding to check it out, the couple went to Russells Hall Hospital and were told Jennifer may be going into labour.

Just hours later, Daisy-Mae was born and was soon whisked over to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, to be cared for in the specialist neo-natal unit.

Wayne, aged 42, said: "She weighed less than a bag of sugar, I could cup her in my hands. It was heartbreaking for us because we couldn't hold her."

It was not until Christmas Day – 25 days after she was born – that Jen and Wayne could hold their little girl properly for the first time.

"It was a Christmas present worth waiting for," said Wayne, who is station commander at Ward End fire station.

"It was such an amazing feeling for us. We were also there when she opened her eyes for the first time. They had been fused shut in the womb and when she was born they were still closed.

We were there when she opened them and when she cried for the first time, too. It was just amazing."

Now Daisy-Mae is getting stronger every day and Wayne, who is also father to Olivia-Mae, is keeping followers informed of her journey, comparing it to a climb to the top of a mountain.

She is now taking feeds from her mother and cries when she wants to be fussed.

He said the support he has experienced from people on social media has been a big help in getting through the difficult past few months.

"At the beginning when it was so hard and we were isolated in the hospital, it really did help to know people were praying for us and wishing us well."

The couple also praised the work of the nurses at both Russells Hall and New Cross Hospitals.

The family wants to pay them back and are holding a fundraising day on March 22 at Mary Steven's Park in Stourbridge, which includes family activities and a boot camp, too.

The Beech Body Bootcamp will be held for adults and is a two-hour, two-man tyre trek and includes tombola, raffles and cakes. It will run from 11am to 3pm.

Wayne said: "Any support people can give will be greatly appreciated by the parents and nurses of our fantastic NHS service."