The baby has already undergone open heart surgery, battled superbug MRSA and undergone a further four-hour operation to beat the infection –and he's still only 17 weeks old.

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Born on November 20, the youngster has spent longer in hospital than at home in Middleton.

So when he was finally allowed back there on Mother's Day it was the best gift mum Hayley Aris could have wished for.

The 24-year-old said: "In the circumstances it was fantastic, it was amazing. That was my present from my baby – to go home."

She added: "He must be so strong.

"There wouldn't be many adults that could have open heart surgery and MRSA and survive, so for him to have gone through all that, we can't believe it.

"Anything else that's going to be thrown at him should be a doddle."

Harrison's battles began before he was even born.

At 34 weeks, a scan revealed he hadn't grown for a month and doctors said he wouldn't survive a natural birth.

Hayley, a nurse at Pontefract General Infirmary, underwent an emergency Caesarean at Leeds General Infirmary and he was born five weeks early, weighing 4lbs.

But he was heavier than expected and unlike many premature babies, able to breathe for himself.

After two weeks he returned home and Hayley and husband Andy, deputy manager at Halfords in Leeds, thought the worst was over.

But the couple noticed Harrison bobbed his head backwards and forwards. Hayley said: "When he breathed he used to use all his muscles. Because he was small I thought he must take a lot of effort to breathe."

But when he became ill at 10 weeks a doctor at Lingwell Croft Surgery, Middleton, said he had to go straight to hospital.A nurse told Hayley head bobbing was a prime indication of a heart problem.

A scan revealed a large hole in his heart, needing urgent surgery.

Hayley said doctors had identified a heart murmur at eight weeks and referred him to the hospital at a future date. "The day we took him to A&E they said he was in respiratory failure and heart failure.

"The day of his operation he was that bad I thought 'would he have lasted another day?'"

Thankfully the five-hour operation went smoothly and Hayley said, though he was connected to machines, it was wonderful to see his chest rise and fall effortlessly.

"It was the first time we had seen him just breathing normally."

But a few days Harrison's wound became infected with potential killer MRSA.

Antibiotics and other treatment failed to clear it up and with the infection worsening doctors said their only hope was to operate immediately to clean it out.

So Harrison, who still only weighed 7lbs, had to go under the knife again.

He was expected to need six weeks in hospital but bounced back in four weeks, ready to go home weighing a healthy 10lb 4oz.