Samantha Allsop, 29, from Birmingham, was told her baby had a heart defect at her 23 week scan but doctors wouldn't know the severity until she was born. Then, at 36 weeks a scan showed baby Tiger-Jade's heart rate was plummeting and so she was delivered by emergency Caesarean. Unable to breathe, doctors said she had viral meningitis and may not survive the weekend. But despite a myriad of other health complications (inset, in hospital) including 15 holes in her heart and club feet, Tiger-Jade survived and is now a happy six-month-old (left and right). Her mother Samantha said: 'She's here, and that's all that matters.'

No matter how many years it's been, periods never get easier.  In the days leading up, women often feel incredibly lethargic and hungry, derailing any gym and diet routine. That's aside from the pelvic pain and skin break-outs. It is tempting as some stages in your cycle to drop all your good intentions and just bury yourself in a sofa with pizza. But there is a healthy way to work with your body to stay vibrant, trim, and nourished - while giving yourself a break when you need it. A new study has outlined how women should tailor their diets and exercise regimes to their menstrual cycle. And according to the researchers at the University of Copenhagen, women who tested their theory lost an average of nine pounds during the six-month clinical trial.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES. Charlie Cave, (pictured) from Kempston, Bedfordshire, was just 13-months-old when he developed the early stages of the secondary flesh-eating infection. He was put into an induced coma. The infection took over his neck, (inset, bottom) causing it to go black, and his poorly body also had to fight off the life-threatening blood-poisoning disease sepsis. After Charlie's heart rate reached 227 beats per minute his parents, Alan and Becky, were told to expect the worst ahead of a seven hour operation.

According to the illustrations, by an an online pharmacy, you can burn all the calories of an Olympic athlete without even leaving the comfort of your bedroom. They show that you don't need to run the 100m sprint, just engage in missionary style sex for two and a half minutes, while 20 minutes of the 'cowgirl' is the equivalent of taking part in the triple jump.

Jessica Stubbins, from Scunthorpe, felt her baby coming just as she arrived at Scunthorpe General Hospital with her husband Tom and CCTV captured the extraordinary moment she gave birth to her second daughter, Lucy, in under a minute (pictured). Her husband Tom, a butcher, told Good Morning Britain (inset) how by the time he arrived on the scene (far right) Jessica was saying: 'It's a girl, it's a girl! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' He recalled: 'She felt really guilty because I missed it. I was just in absolute shock and I didn't know what was happening.'

Expectant mother Jess underwent the procedure, which is called an an external cephalic version, took place at Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton, when she was 36 weeks pregnant. She was filmed by her partner - and father-to-be - Liam Muckleston in a video that's had more than 2.2 million views.

Celebrity mums are now speaking out as part of a new campaign called #counto10. Claire Sweeney (right), Giovanna Fletcher (left) and Izzy Judd (middle with husband Harry) are just some of the women stepping forward for the #counto10 initiative. It was launched by breastfeeding brand Medela, and aims to alleviate feelings of inadequacy associated with breastfeeding.

As BBC drama Casualty aired its brain tumour storyline on Saturday - former actress on the drama Holly Matthews, left with her children faces telling her children Brooke, five, and Texas, three, Daddy may not be here to see them grow up. The actress, who played Gina Timpson in the TV series (inset), opens up about watching her husband, Ross Blair, right, struggle with a rare aggressive malignant brain tumour. Ross was given a 50-50 chance of surviving five years.

Seven-month-old Lydia Germon (right), from Swansea, has a brain abnormality called Dandy-Walker which has caused her head to swell - but no operations have helped to remove the fluid build up. Now her family (left) hope a £50,000 pioneering treatment in the US can give her a new chance at life. Her mother, Bethan, 28, refused to give up on her baby and declined an abortion at her 20 week scan when she found out she had the condition. Mrs Germon said: 'I can't just sit back and watch my child die and you can't put a price on human life. She also praised her other daughter, Caitlyn (inset), seven, who she claims has been 'amazing' throughout everything.

Tatum Fogarty, from Victoria, was just nine years old when she had her first period. While it came as a surprise for both Ms Fogarty and her mother, neither could have predicted what it signified. For the past 16 years, Tatum Fogarty has struggled with stage four endometriosis. The incurable disease means her periods can last up to three weeks, with near constant pain, and leaves her light-headed and dizzy. 'You know those plastic sheets mums put on the bed to stop their kids wetting it? I had to have them every night I was on my period so I wouldn't bleed through and stain all our sheets,' Ms Fogarty told Daily Mail.

Bhupinder Singh (left), 16, from India, suffers from neurofibromatosis. He was born with a small tumour on his eyelid, but as he grew older it engulfed his face, leaving him unable to see properly. He was shunned from school because of his unusual appearance, leaving him too scared to leave the safety of his village where he is accepted by friends and family (bottom right). But despite his fear, Bhupinder is just like any other energetic, spirited boy of his age - as he has learnt to love cricket (top right). And although he can't go to school, he reads books every day - mainly in his favourite language, English - despite suffering excruciating pain due to being blind in his right eye.

Tyler Hives, 11, from Coventry, was diagnosed with a selective eating disorder after years of refusing to eat anything other than sausages and beans (left). He had a feeding tube as a baby and it is believed the trauma made him scared of anything solid sliding down his throat. His mother, Lyndsay, 38 (right), said mealtimes were a 'nightmare' that she began to dread - and she feared her son would lack energy. But she claims after one hypnotherapy session he is now able to eat other foods. She said: 'Now he's so much more confident around food - he'll try most things, and he's eaten so many things I never dreamed he would eat. It's completely changed our lives - we can go out and have a meal without having to think twice.'

Laura Rundle, 34, from Tayport, Fife, swapped her 4,000-calorie-a-day diet for a highly restricted regimen of just 600 calories to lose 9st 3lb so her children wouldn't be embarrassed by her. The former hairdresser tipped the scales at 22 stone (left) after suffering a back injury in 2011 but after the crash diet she is now showcasing her slimline physique (centre and right) and leaving friends and family stunned by her transformation.

A man whose partner was born with two vaginas, two uteruses and two cervixes took to the internet for a very frank discussion about their intimate life. The boyfriend, who remained anonymous, fielded questions on Reddit from strangers which ranged from the intrigued to the indecent. To one person who asked what he'd rather, a girlfriend with 'two vaginas or four boobs' he replied diplomatically, 'I like things in pairs, so two vaginas and two boobs.' The Q&A; followed on from the woman's own Ask Me Anything thread that had readers gripped by her account of the rare condition.

Mia Schley, 5, (left) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was left with third degree burns covering 60 per cent of her body after tripping over and pulling boiling hot oil over herself when she was three. She had to be incubated for a month (inset) and was given heavy drugs to help numb the pain. Mia, suffered burns to her face, neck and torso, but the worst affected area was her hands where most of the skin had been scorched by the hot oil. But now, Mia has fully recovered from her horrific accident. She can even play sports and has taken up ballet (right) after relearning how to walk.

Cailee Herrell (inset) from Phoenix, Arizona, was diagnosed with the rare disease Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy, a genetic condition which causes progressive vision loss. But before she loses her sight completely, her family want to fill her memory bank for the future. The heart-warming list included Cailee's first trip to the ocean (left) and fulfilling her dream of a magical holiday to Disneyland (right). To prepare her daughter for blindness, Ms Frost made sure she received early intervention which included cane skills and lessons in braille. Now her mother plans to take her to camps for visual impairments where she can go horseback riding, rock climbing and hiking.

Harmonie-Rose Allen (left), from Bath, lost all her limbs to meningitis. But her parents have bought her a new toy which has prosthetic legs and arms - just like her. As a reward for her bravery, her parents bought her a specially-made figure from the US which has matching amputations (right). And her mother, Freya Hall, 22, hopes it will encourage the toddler to use her prosthetic legs by showing her she isn't the only girl in the world without her limbs. Harmonie was struck down by the deadly meningitis B last September, when she was just ten-months-old. She was rushed into hospital, just ten days after she took her first steps - but doctors couldn't find anything wrong.

Ana Moaksom, 16, was told at age four she would need a kidney transplant after infections left her organs scarred. At 16 years old her health began to decline, and doctors said they would search for a donor. About to face her GCSE exams, Ana had little energy and was struggling. Her mother Amanda, 48, decided to donate a kidney so her daughter could concentrate on revising. Despite both suffering complications following the operation, they have recovered. Ana is now eagerly awaiting her exam results, and hopes to start a business course in the autumn. Ana said: 'I can't thank mum enough. She has given me the chance to lead a normal life; my energy levels have risen and I am looking forward to enjoying my summer off with the family.'

Cambree Hensley (left), from Oklahoma City, is plagued by Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS), which affects just one in 100,000 people worldwide. The condition impacts the development of blood vessels, soft tissues, and bones and means the toddler's veins are much larger than usual. As a result of the condition, her left leg is two-and-a-half inches wider and an inch longer than her right (right). She wears specially designed shoes with a one inch orthopedic lift to help her walk (inset). She experiences pain every day, and her increased blood flow causes swelling putting her at high risk of developing a fatal blood clot. But doctors can not tell her parents if or when this will happen, as every case of KTS is unique.

Sian Colclough, 29, from Wrexham, suffers from a Chiari malformation, where the brain pushes down into the spinal canal, blocking the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. It meant she became paralysed when her baby pressed on her nerves. She also suffers headaches - often  triggered by sneezing or laughing - that are so unbearable she had to spend hours sitting with sunglasses on and all of the curtains closed. She was able to move once son Lennon (right) was born, but now uses a wheelchair (left) as she has Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a muscle wasting condition causing excruciating nerve pain and leaving her unable to walk long distances. Desribing the pain of her Chiari malformation, she said: 'I can feel my spine being crushed by my brain and the pressure is really intense, but it's something that I've had to learn to live with.'

David Rogers and Dr Grahame Brown of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham speak from a combined 35 years' experience in treating patients with chronic back pain. They are convinced that the answer for patients is not more scans, physiotherapy, manipulation, or even surgery. The solution is simple exercises including the back stretch (top left), step and reach (top middle), the side bend (top middle), door stretch (bottom left), the forward bend (bottom middle) and the deep squat (bottom right).