For Zoe Davies, her hospital visit to deliver her third daughter was meant to complete her family, but just hours after welcoming her daughter into the world, the family were given devastating news.

Having experienced childbirth twice previously, the Ammanford mum understood what lay ahead, and the arrival of newborn Madeline at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen on 26 April last year through caesarean section had initially been welcomed by nursing staff as healthy and straightforward.

Yet four hours afterwards, around midnight, the world of Zoe and partner Matthew Davies was thrown into turmoil. Medical staff delivered the devastating news to the pair that Madeline had suffered what was termed an 'unexpected collapse' and her condition had become critical.

Madeline arriving at Singleton Hospital in Swansea.

Madeline's oxygen saturation was 'very low' while her temperature was described as 'unmeasurable'. Attempts were undertaken to stabilise her situation, but medical professionals determined she required an enhanced level of treatment only accessible at Singleton Hospital.

She was moved to the Swansea facility the next day, and it was there that Madeline's parents received the 'horrific' revelation that she had been diagnosed with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). It is a severe life-threatening disorder where a newborn's pulmonary blood vessels fail to relax following delivery, hampering adequate oxygenation, resulting in critically low blood oxygen caused by elevated pressure within the lungs.

Madeline pictured in the helicopter.

Zoe, 27, said: 'I began to notice things weren't right at Glangwili Hospital and I echoed my concerns to the midwife but unfortunately it got a bit dismissed. They didn't see any issues with Madeline at first but I felt things weren't quite right.'

Unfortunately, by the time they noticed, it was quite severe and the oxygen had been starved from her brain for a little while. When we got to Singleton they were a bit more straight with us on how poorly she was, that she was very critical, and that we needed to prepare for the worst.

Madeline breathing on her own with the equipment removed.

It was horrific. I was in bits – I was completely distraught. My partner and I couldn't even get our heads around what was happening, let alone what could happen – it was terrifying.

She was relying on the machines and every time they were trying to wean her off she was shutting down. They continued to do what they could and after a day they told us there was one final option – that she might be a candidate for a heart and lung bypass at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

'She has really shown her strength and courage,' said devoted mum Zoe.

At barely two days old, on April 28, Madeline was transported by air ambulance to the London hospital where she would spend the next 10 days. The trauma of her ordeal, combined with having to travel so soon after giving birth, took a severe toll on Zoe.

Following her recovery, Zoe was discharged and finally reunited with Madeline and Matthew, who had been frantically shuttling between two hospitals, uncertain whether both his partner and newborn daughter would pull through.

Madeline arriving in London, pictured with her parents.

At Great Ormond Street Hospital, doctors successfully stabilised Madeline, gradually reducing her medication before transferring her back to Singleton Hospital, where she spent a further four weeks in intensive care receiving the highest level of ventilation available.

For two months after returning home, she required constant monitoring and medication every four hours, before her treatment was slowly reduced over the last nine months.

The Davies family reunited at Singleton Hospital in Swansea.

'It's hard to believe what she's been through,' Zoe said. 'She was doing well throughout the whole pregnancy and there were no complications.'

We were terrified of what our life was going to look like. It just changed in a second, in an instant. We were just trying to stay positive at the time and keep talking to her and keep her pushing through and eventually she did.

'Miracle Maddie' is now gearing up to turn one.

Ms Davies went on to say: 'Madeline now has cardiology appointments on her heart and there's checks on her lungs and developmental things, if she's reaching her milestones and so on, which she is.'

She's so strong-willed. Even in the hospital they said they couldn't believe how strong she was because she kept on trying to pull her tubes out as if to say: 'I'm fine'.

To mark Madeline's first birthday, Zoe expressed her desire to support Great Ormond Street Hospital and Singleton Hospital.