The mum of a miracle baby born without a heartbeat has said she never expected to be celebrating her daughter’s first birthday.

One year ago, Isla Simpson came into the world and spent her first 26 minutes without a heartbeat.

For Isla’s mum Becky, celebrating the first birthday of her daughter is something she didn’t think would happen 12 months ago.

Becky, 21 said: “She turned one on September 21 and this time last year there was no hope for her whatsoever.

“They told me the chances of her surviving were very slim and that she had sustained brain damage.”

Becky and her daughter appeared in the Observer last year when baby Isla was just five weeks old, and Becky thanked the team that brought her baby girl back to life.

Staff at Burnley General Hospital worked tirelessly to revive Isla, who was born weighing 7lbs 4oz.

Becky recalled how terrifying it was watching the doctors trying to resuscitate her baby

But fast forward 12 months and Becky said Isla is a very content baby.

She said: “She’s got cerebral palsy and she isn’t doing what other one-year-olds do like walking or crawling or sitting up by herself, but she’s very alert and chatty.

“She’s still fed through a tube in her nose and she has weekly physiotherapy sessions, she can sit up, but she needs help to do it.”

Becky, from Queen Street in Clayton-le-Moors, said she never found out why Isla was born without a heartbeat.

After of Isla’s resuscitation she spent a week on a ventilator in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit, and Becky praised the ‘brilliant’ staff at Burnley General Hospital who saved her baby girl’s life.

Becky said: “Isla has weekly physiotherapy sessions, she’s a really good baby, she always sleeps through the night and she hardly cries, she’s really happy.

“To celebrate her birthday, my family came round and we had a birthday cake for her on Saturday. and we went out for lunch on Monday”

Becky said she is amazed at what her little girl has come through.

She said: “Every day I just think every problem she has had she’s come through.”