A COUPLE have celebrated the first Christmas with their “little miracle” son – four months after he was born with a one per cent chance of survival.

Cathy Walters, from Didcot, was devastated when doctors at the John Radcliffe Hospital said her sixth child was likely to die before birth after her waters broke 17 weeks into pregnancy.

The 29-year-old, who lives in Hawthorn Place with lorry driver husband Philip, 45, and five other children, has suffered five miscarriages in her life.

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Despite doctors offering her a termination, as they were afraid she could catch an infection and die from septicaemia, Mrs Walters refused.

She said: “I couldn’t kill my baby. If he was fighting, then I was going to fight too.

“Even when I got to 20 weeks they said it wasn’t going to be a good outcome.

“I was constantly losing water every day until I got to 30 weeks.

“Doctors said he could come out with deformities but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted my baby.”

Lyndon-Rhys McIntyre-Walters was born on July 26, more than two months premature.

He weighed only three pounds and nine ounces but was otherwise perfectly healthy.

He stayed in hospital for eight weeks before being allowed home to be with his parents and siblings Michaella, 10, Tristan, eight, Scott, seven, Ollie, four and Lewis, 22 months.

Mrs Walters said: “It was the best Christmas ever. He got a lot of musical toys and little Christmas teddy bears.

“He is such a happy little soul. My family is complete.”

Now nearly four months old, Lyndon-Rhys weighs 11 pounds 11 ounces, but still has to be given a very small dose of oxygen every day. His mum said she hoped this treatment would finish next year.

Mrs Walters [nee McIntyre] added: “He is my little miracle. I’m just amazed.

“He defied all the odds. Definitely when he’s older I’ll tell him this story. I want him to know how precious he is.

“My husband knows how anxious and worried I am, so he stayed hopeful through the pregnancy and told me we could do this. He was really positive. He was my rock.

“It’s been a hectic year, but also an amazing one because Lyndon-Rhys survived.”

Despite feeling discouraged by doctors saying her baby was unlikely to survive the pregnancy, Mrs Walters praised them.

She said: “It was always doom and gloom with the one per cent chance but I can’t thank them enough for their help.

“They said they would do all they could to help him live and they did.”