"She's a great wee soul. She's getting stronger and stronger every day. She's very content - considering what she's been through."

The mum from Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, said the nightmare began when Holly was born with health problems, including a defective kidney.

She was born by Caesarean section at the Southern General Hospital on November 12 - four weeks early but still weighing a hefty 9lb 13oz.

Holly was rushed to intensive care so doctors could stabilise high sugar levels caused by her mum's gestational diabetes.

After a week, Holly got the all-clear and went home to her family, including dad Garry, 30, and sister Sophie, 4.

But two days later she contracted the diseases that are every parent's worst nightmare - meningitis and septicaemia. Doctors believe they developed because of her kidney problem.

But it's all down to June that Holly was taken to hospital quickly, allowing doctors to save her life.

June was at home with Holly when she noticed something was wrong.

The former city council care worker said: "She was quiet and whimpering, wasn't feeding and was vomiting. She had a blue tinge around her mouth. I called NHS 24 and they sent an ambulance."

Paramedics took frantic June to the Southern General, where she was told A&E didn't treat babies and she had to wait 30 minutes to be taken to Yorkhill. When she arrived, she was dealt another blow.

Rather than Holly's sugars dropping again as she thought, it was much worse.

Doctors said Holly had an infection and was deteriorating rapidly.

It was not until later they realised her illness was probably the potentially fatal e.coli meningitis and septicaemia.

June said: "They took me into a resuscitation room, where Holly was wrapped in tin foil. Her limbs were blue - she was struggling big time.

"She was getting resuscitated in front of me and I basically fell apart.

"They were asking me to talk to her and give her a kiss and it was very hard to deal with. They phoned my husband and my family to come."

The doctors stabilised Holly but she remained in intensive care, fighting for her life on a respirator, for a week.

Her family even had her baptised in hospital, fearing the worst.

June was tested for meningitis after doctors feared she could have caught it from Holly. Thankfully she hadn't but she spent a week in the Queen Mother's Hospital next door with a womb infection.

At one point Garry, a joiner, was going from one hospital to the other, taking care of his wife and daughter.

Holly didn't get the all-clear until Christmas Eve - but only after having yet another health scare which saw surgeons remove a large cyst on her bladder, caused by her kidney problem.

Doctors have told June that if she hadn't noticed the subtle signs of meningitis and septicaemia Holly might not have survived.

She said: "My mothering instincts saved my baby, that's what they told me."

Garry said: "I'm amazed June realised there was something wrong. We knew about the kidney but we didn't realise how serious it could be. We could have lost Holly."

HER family don't know yet if the meningitis and septicaemia have left any lasting damage.

Holly, who now weighs 14lb 6oz, faces an operation to remove part or all of the defective kidney when she's 18 months old.

But for now, the family are enjoying their time together.

To thank Yorkhill staff for saving Holly's life they asked for donations to be made to the hospital instead of presents at Holly's recent christening.

Added to proceeds from a raffle with prizes donated by Barrhead pubs, Cafe Asia in Crookston, Braehead, and McDonald's and Odeon, they raised £1700 for the renal unit.