Although Jillian had to go through a caesarean section, her daughter was delivered without any further complications and all appeared well.

However, as Aleece grew, Jillian noticed that her little girl preferred to sleep and play on her back. She never thought it an issue until, aged four months, Aleece's head appeared to look, in the words of her mother, "like a rugby ball".

The tot was eventually diagnosed with plagiocephaly – also known as flat head syndrome – after Jillian's parents Eric and Christine Wilson spotted an article about the condition on the BBC's regional website.

But now, thanks to an innovative helmet for babies suffering from the syndrome, Aleece has been slowly transformed.

Jillian said at first she didn't really think there was anything wrong with her daughter.

"I guess that I was blinded by love for Aleece and couldn't really see the problem – I just didn't want to face the fact that my little girl was less than perfect," she said.

Jillian's parents found out about Össur's Technology in Motion centre in Leeds, which treats many plagiocephaly cases using a helmet called a STARband.

After their first consultation at the centre, Jillian felt reassured that other parents faced the same dilemma and that she wasn't alone.

It became apparent that Aleece's case was one of the most extreme to ever come into the centre.

But Jillian still had concerns over the treatment.

"I worried about what people would think of Aleece in her helmet, and even things that seem silly now, such as not being able to stroke her hair or kiss her on the head," she said.

"But I knew that this would be life changing for her and we had to go through with it."

Aleece's treatment began at seven and a half months and ended just after she was a year old and Jillian is more than happy with the results.

"The STARband has given my daughter a normal face shape and her ears no longer stick out.

"She would always have looked beautiful in my eyes, but now I receive so many compliments on what a beautiful little girl I have, and I never got that before.

"I could not have asked for a better outcome."