Baby girl born with part of her brain OUTSIDE her skull defies doctors to thrive.

A baby born with part of her brain outside her skull is thriving despite doctors giving her little chance of survival.

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.

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Faith Martin was born with part of her brain outside her skull and she was not expected to survive

Faith (pictured with her mother, Jessica) was diagnosed during a scan and her parents were warned she might not be able to breathe when she was born. Doctors said if this was the case, they wouldn't intervene

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.

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.

An operation took place at Newcastle's RVI 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.

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Ms Williams and Mr Martin now describe Faith as their 'little miracle' and say she is doing everything a normal three-month-old is expected to do

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.’