The Cavan native said yesterday: “I had three kids with no problems, all textbook pregnancies, so I didn’t expect anything different.

“I had a miscarriage and got pregnant again pretty much straight away with Cameron.“It was actually on the due date of the baby I lost that I started getting labour pains.“I was only 26 weeks gone, so I went into hospital and was examined.

“They thought it was just a scare and sent me home and said hopefully they wouldn’t see me again until my due date.”

Danielle, who lives in Kells, Co Meath , added: “I woke up the next morning and was bleeding quite heavily.

“Within 10 minutes of arriving, I was told the baby was coming and if I didn’t deliver there would be a very high risk to him."

Cameron weighed a tiny 2lbs, 1oz and that night, November 4 2009, he was transferred from Cavan General Hospital to the National Maternity Hospital on Dublin’s Holles Street.

Danielle remembers: “He was wheeled in to say goodbye, it was horrible, I was on a ward with other mums and their babies and mine was in a different hospital.”

Two days later things got even worse. She remembered: “We found out he’d had a grade four brain haemorrhage.

“A doctor told us he would probably be severely disabled, he would probably never walk or talk and would probably never be able to suck his bottle or feed himself.

“I remember thinking we should be grateful he was alive but I was worried about what quality of life he would have.”

Cameron is now six – and has mild cerebral palsy.

Danielle said: “He’s still a bit behind other kids but not by much... He’s the boss of our house.”