THE PARENTS of an Irvine baby born with mystery condition fear her illness could have been caused by what they claim were a ‘catalogue of blunders’ by Crosshouse Hospital.

Little Meadow Pipe was born on August 13 with a disorder so rare it has left doctors baffled. The condition means Meadow’s skull, throat and neck are smaller than they should be and won’t grow at the same rate as the rest of her body.

The seven-month-old, who arrived three-and-a-half weeks early weighing 5lbs 11.5oz, also has a permanent tube attached to assist her breathing and is fed through a tube.

Parents Laura Muir and Graham Pipe say their daughter’s problems began immediately after birth when she stopped breathing and despite being moved to the high dependency unit in Crosshouse, claim she was not seen by a doctor for an astonishing 14 DAYS.

The couple, both 34, are now convinced if Meadow has been seen to at birth her problems would not be so severe or may have been avoided completely.

Laura said: “As soon as Meadow had her first feed just after she was born she began choking and stopped breathing. We called for help and she was taken to the high dependency unit straight away.

“We expected that she would be seen by a doctor immediately but after a few hours no one came.

"Days passed and we were asking the nurses and they said the doctors were aware of her situation and she would be seen soon, but it wasn’t until 14 days later a consultant finally came to see her and she basically took one look at her and transferred her to Yorkhill.” From then the couple’s nightmare really began as little Meadow underwent blood tests, MRI and brain scans and other examinations as baffled doctors desperately tried to pinpoint what was wrong with her.

Graham said: “She was in Yorkhill for around five months and they must’ve done every test under the sun but they were only able to rule things out. They still can’t tell us what is wrong with Meadow.

"All we know so far is that she has what they call ‘delayed maturation’ of the brain and head area which they think has led to the breathing and feeding problems.” Laura and Graham, who live in Queen Road in Irvine, say Meadow’s problems only worsened as she picked up colds and viruses which always resulted in a hospital stay.

The couple say after getting Meadow home for a week at Christmas the tot took unwell with a cold and they took her straight to Crosshouse’s A&E Department.

But they claim, their pleas went unheard and after a few days of being treated with paracetamol, Meadow’s lungs collapsed and she was, once again, rushed to Yorkhill.

Graham said: “We could see she was struggling to breathe at times and we were asking staff to give her the same medication she had at Yorkhill, but they assured us she was fine.

"Then one night we got a phonecall around midnight to say they had finally given her the medication so we felt a bit more reassured but at 6am the following morning they called us again to say she had taken a turn for the worse through the night and had been transferred to Yorkhill and she was critical.

"We couldn’t believe it. We had left her with the cold and she was stable and in the space of a few hours she was in intensive care and doctors were telling us to prepare for the worst.” Graham and Laura, who also have sons Carson, four, Logan, 13, and Taylor, 17, say they now want answers from Crosshouse officials into the care Meadow has received.

Laura said: “There’s no way we can prove either way if Meadow had been seen by a doctor immediately after birth that she wouldn’t have the problems that she has, but we do believe that she should never have been left for two weeks without a doctor. It’s shocking. We want to know why these things were allowed to happen?” Despite her struggles the tiny tot is content and still manages to smile, even now while she currently battles a whooping cough infection.

Laura said: “She is a great wee soul. She always has a smile for us even though she is going through something horrible. She’s a wee fighter. We’re so proud of her.” A spokesperson for NHS Ayrshire and Arran said: “NHS Ayrshire and Arran takes patients’ feedback, comments, concerns or complaints very seriously.

“We have had discussions with the family. If, however, they still feel that we have not met the high standards we strive for, we would be very happy for Meadow’s parents to get back in touch with us directly.

“This is the only way we can properly and fully review anyone’s concerns and involve them fully in that process.”