A TERRIFIED mum has spoken out about her struggles her daughter faces after being born with breathing difficulties.

Baby Kiesha Green was born on December 3, 2020, and her parents, Nicole and Chris, immediately found it difficult to feed her, and noticed their daughter struggling to breathe properly.

The “tiny” baby has since been seen at Cumberland Infirmary on multiple occasions, being treated for sepsis and Laryngomalacia – a softening of the tissue above the voicebox – but her symptoms remain the same.

“Her breathing is awful, to the point where it just stops sometimes,” 22-year-old Nicole said.

“I’m terrified her breathing won’t start up again sometimes. She gets so cold, and her hands and feet go purple – I’ve had the heating on 30 degrees permanently to try and stop it happening.”

She continued: “People seem to think I’m just a young mum who’s being paranoid, but a doctor once told me to trust my instincts, and I know there’s something wrong.”

In addition to her breathing struggles, the five-month-old also has trouble with feeding, and has to be lying flat on her back to keep anything down.

Due to this, Nicole said her baby is still wearing clothes for newborns.

“She should be so much bigger than she is, and it’s heartbreaking,” the Carlisle mum said.

“I’m so stressed and scared all the time, because I just want to know what’s wrong with her so she can be made better, but it just feels like we aren’t being heard, and it’s so upsetting.”

She added: “We can’t go out anywhere because of the amount of care Kiesha needs, and my family are scared of looking after her in case something goes wrong.”

Nicole explained that she and her partner have requested to have Kiesha referred to Newcastle RVI for a full diagnosis to be carried out, and hope they will be “believed and listened to” soon.

A spokesperson for North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said: "Looking after a baby who is experiencing breathing difficulties is stressful and parents should not hesitate to seek advice if they have concerns through their GP, health visitor, 111 or 999 in a life threatening emergency.

“While we cannot comment on individual cases, we have been in touch with Ms Green to offer further support.

“We urge anyone who is unhappy with the Trusts services to contact our PALS team who can help sort out issues on your behalf.”