Natalie and Craig Hudson never thought they would cuddle both of their twin daughters, Katie and Sophie. For doctors never expected Sophie to survive long enough to be born alive.

Natalie, 24, suffered high blood pressure during pregnancy and the girls were delivered at North Tees Hospital, Stockton, near Middlesbrough, 10 weeks premature, Katie weighing 3lbs 50z and her sister just 2lbs, the weight of a bag of sugar.

Says mum: “It was a miracle because Sophie was not expected to survive beyond seven weeks in the womb, but amazingly she did, she clung on. And it was when Sophie developed breathing difficulties at 30 weeks they were both delivered by Caesarean section there and then. It was a very emotional time.”

But the problems were not over. Katie suffered a bleed on the brain, contracted MRSA and had a lung problem which lead to breathing difficulties. Sophie suffered from a number of infections and also her eyes had not developed properly, so she had to have laser surgery at six weeks to save her eyesight.

Katie was allowed home at six weeks and Sophie at ten, to the couple’s new home at Catterick Garrison where Craig, a serving soldier, is based. But despite the fact that Mum and Dad were delighted to have their babies home, Natalie soon noticed a further problem.

The girls’ heads were seriously mis-shapen. Katie’s ears were not level and she had a bulging forehead, while Sophie’s was flat at the back and her forehead was prominent.

“I was so worried,” says Natalie. “After all we had been through, there just seemed to be no end to it. Although our son Charlie, who is 22 months, was also born premature he didn’t have the same problem, so we were really worried as to what it was.”

Natalie discussed the subject with the babies’ physiotherapist who the girls see once a month. They are given physio for a condition called Torticollis (a tightening  of the neck muscles) which causes the twins to show a preference for looking to one side. The physiotherapy treatment has started to allow normal right and left movement of the head, but the girls did not respond to repositioning techniques which was hoped would improve their head shapes.

Natalie had seen a newspaper article about plagiocephaly – also known as flat head syndrome – which can occur when the soft skull is pushed out of shape because of the way a baby lies in or out of the womb.

Concerned that the girls may have the condition, she trawled the internet until she came across information about STARband™, a treatment which uses a specially-fitted band or helmet to enable the baby’s head to be gradually re-shaped as it grows. The technology has enabled over 1,500 babies in the UK to achieve normal, rounded heads after just a few months of use.

After an initial consultation at the Technology in Motion clinic in Leeds, with expert Steve Mottram, the couple were convinced of the benefits, but unfortunately couldn’t afford almost £4,000 for the treatment which is not available on the NHS.

So Craig, 27, who serves with 8 (sic) Transport Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, took the problem to his welfare officer. After just a few days the army’s benevolent services had come up with the money for the treatment.

Within a week of having the helmets fitted, the mis-alignment in Sophie’s head had been reduced by 6mm and Katie’s by 12mm. A real result given this is  only the very beginning of the treatment.

“We were stunned with the results,” says Natalie. “My parents noticed immediately. Craig is serving in Cyprus at the moment so hasn’t seen the girls yet. I’ve sent him photos of them in their little helmets, but by the time he gets home they’ll have improved so much he won’t believe it.

“Although we wanted the best for our girls, we couldn’t help but worry about taking on the treatment, because you never know if  it is going to work. But after the girls were diagnosed with plagiocephaly we knew it was the right thing to do.  We couldn’t have had a better result and we are so grateful to the army and Craig’s regiment for supporting us and helping our little girls get back to normal.”