Rachel Williams sat waiting for her baby to die.

It was the only way she could persuade hospital staff to let her bring her little boy home - by proving that she could save his life.

Riley Richardson was born in the Cumberland Infirmary on August 15, but never made it home. Instead he was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where he has remained ever since.

He was initially on a permanent ventilator but has been gradually weaned off it, as medics worked to strengthen his lungs. Despite this, he frequently stops breathing, turning blue and floppy.

Unfortunately doctors have so far been unable to work out what is wrong with him.

The Carlisle mum - and partner John Richardson, 44 - have been living in the Sick Children’s Trust-run Crawford House with their other son Ethan, four, since August, so they could be close to little Riley.

As one test after another came back negative, Rachel, 31, admits that all she wanted was to be able to take her baby home, let him sleep in his own cot and walk to the shops with him in a pram.

In a desperate attempt, the couple have undergone training to be able to bag and resuscitate Riley after one of his “episodes”.

“Many hospitals would only let you take your baby home if they’d been stable for a month,” Rachel, of Queensway, Morton west, explained. “But they don’t know what’s wrong with Riley - they don’t know if he will ever be stable for more than a few days.

“I had to stay with Riley for a few days, day and night, and wait for him to stop breathing. They had to witness me bag him and save him, before I could bring him home.”

The first time it happened, she admits that she doubted her abilities: “I kept asking myself, ‘am I going to be enough to keep him alive?’

“It was the most horrendous thing, awful. No child should have that done, but especially not by their mother.

“The second time it happened, he just needed oxygen and I was calm and realised actually I could do this.

“Riley deserves a chance at a normal life outside hospital, I can give him that.”

The family finally made it home on Wednesday afternoon, in time for Christmas.

Rachel said: “It was fantastic bringing him through that door but so many emotions: I was bringing my new baby home for the first time, but we have to think of the risk factors.

“There is no back up now except 999. But it was all worth it to get him home.

“While we don’t know what is wrong with him, we don’t know what the future holds. Hopefully we will have many more but nobody knows that, so we will just enjoy this Christmas with our family at home, where he has a chance for a life outside hospital.”

Ethan has already seen Santa in the RVI - and was given a special present he was allowed to open early - but having the whole family at home has brought back the festive magic.

“I can’t thank the hospital enough for all they have done and are still doing,” said Rachel. “The nurses and doctors and the staff at Crawford House have been incredible.

“They helped support us and with their support we have finally been able to bring Riley home.”