A NEWPORT woman thought she would never become a mother after the heartbreak of suffering nine miscarriages.

But now, Anne-Marie Brum, 28, from Chepstow Road, has a healthy daughter, Caitlin Marie Byrne.

Ms Brum said: "I never thought I would get to hold her or even have her. She's a miracle - there are no other words to describe her."

Caitlin was born prematurely, weighing just 3lb 6oz, and suffered from a viral infection of her airways.

Then tragedy struck Ms Brum again when Caitlin's father, Christopher Byrne, died suddenly when his daughter was just four months old.

But Caitlin, now a healthy eight-month-old, has helped her mother cope. She said: "If I hadn't had her I never could have gone on."