Baby Mack defies rare condition seen in only 25 people worldwide

Lauren MacLaren, 25, was given the devastating news that her baby Mack had the rare condition MSL2 while she was pregnant.

The condition makes him only the second baby worldwide to be diagnosed with the condition while still in the womb.

Doctors warned the disorder could cause severe neurodevelopmental delays, coordination and feeding difficulties and fluid build-up on the brain, adding that they could not be certain he would survive birth.

Despite being warned that Mack was unlikely to ever live a normal life, Ms MacLaren says the nine-week-old has stunned medics by meeting all of his developmental milestones.

Ms MacLaren, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, told how their “wee fighter” continues to make her and father Gary proud by defying the odds.

She said: "He's our little miracle - we are so proud of Mack.

"We were told that he would never live a full or healthy life and doctors didn't even know if he would survive childbirth.

"It was horrendous as so little is known about the condition, it is incredibly rare."

Ms MacLaren explained how the couple decided to go ahead with the pregnancy - despite the warnings.

She said: "We wanted to give Mack every possible chance.

"No matter what lay ahead, we wanted to keep him and give him a chance to fight.

"Amazingly, just before he was born, scans showed the fluid that had been building up on his brain had disappeared, which stunned the doctors. He really is our wee champion."

Mack was born on February 6 this year.

She added: "The delivery was planned so that all of the specialist doctors were on call.

"Mack was born with the umbilical cord around his neck and was taken straight to a specialist unit.

"I remember seeing him for the first time and just feeling so much love and pride because of what he'd gone through."

After a week in hospital, Mack made such good progress that the couple were able to take him home and say that he is now thriving.

Lauren added: "He'll be very closely monitored with MRI scans, but everyone has been amazed by his progress.

"He's such a happy wee baby and always has a smile on his face. He's feeding well and everyone is confident he's going to continue going from strength to strength.

"We still don't know what the future will hold in terms of any developmental delays, but we are just overjoyed that he is doing so well."

The couple are calling for better awareness of MSL2 and want more research to be carried out into the condition.

Ms MacLaren added: "There needs to be more education around it.

"So little is known and doctors were able to tell me very little apart from scant, bleak information that I could find myself online.

"There are so few people worldwide with it, but I've connected with other parents through an online support group.

"We just feel very blessed that we made the right choices and that he's doing so well."