Faith Martin, now aged three months, was not expected to breathe on her own when she was born.Doctors also explained to her heartbroken parents Jessica Williams, 20, and Aaron Martin, 21, that they wouldn't intervene if she couldn't.During a 17-week pregnancy scan at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital her parents were told she had the rare condition encephalocele.Encephalocele is described as a sac-like protrusion of the brain, and the membranes that cover it, through an opening in the skull.It happens when the neural tube - an embryo's precursor to the central nervous system which comprises the brain and spinal cord - does not close completely during pregnancy.Ms Williams, who is also mother to one-year-old Logan, said: ‘I went for my first scan and they said that there was a problem.‘We didn't know what to think and the consultant came to see us. I was in shock.‘They knew straight away that the skull hadn't fused together properly and that there was a hole in the back of her skull.’Because prospects for babies with this condition are often catastrophic – many do not survive and others are left with lifelong brain damage and other neurological problems - many parents choose to terminate the pregnancy.Ms Williams said: ‘The consultant said that he thought that she was going to be severely disabled.‘All along we were told it was the part of the brain that controlled breathing that was affected.Ms Williams said: ‘The consultant said that he thought that she was going to be severely disabled.‘All along we were told it was the part of the brain that controlled breathing that was affected.‘It went from being the “breathing part” of her brain to “a part” of her brain,’ said Ms Williams.However, the protrusion grew and by December it was 21cm in diameter from 6cm at birth.Caring for her was difficult, says Ms Williams, as her protrusion was painful when touched.She said: ‘She was in a lot of pain and had to be put on her side.’An operation took place at Newcastle's RVI on January 10 when she was three months old.This saw surgeons remove the protrusion - which contained excess brain fluid and dead brain matter - and fit a shunt to redirect any further fluid build-up to her stomach.Faith now needs MRI scans every six months and checks-ups to make sure she's developing as expected.Ms Williams said: ‘We came home and she's been fine and she's been doing everything at three months that she should be doing and she will lead a totally normal life.’She added: ‘It proves that doctors can be wrong as this outcome just wasn't an option for her.‘She's quite a determined little thing. She's our little miracle.’A spokeswoman for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We give women as much information as we possibly can to help them make informed choices and we will support them in every way possible, whatever they decide to do.’(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az