By Laura Alderman

A mum has praised doctors who took her baby son's skull apart and pieced it back together "like a jigsaw" after he was diagnosed with a rare condition.

Alana Brownie's seventh-month-old son Fraser was born with scaphocephaly - a condition which causes the skull to grow abnormally.

Scaphocephaly affects around one in 5000 babies and if left untreated can cause brain damage and learning difficulties.

The mum from Aberdeenshire, who has two other sons, told STV News: "He [Fraser] was delivered hand first. It was rather painful.

"When he came out I noticed he had a funny-shaped head and I thought it was the way he was delivered.

"His forehead was really prominent and stuck out far forward, and a narrow-shaped head where it looked like a rugby ball."

Because scaphocephaly is so rare, doctors failed to diagnose it initially. But Alana was convinced something wasn't right and began searching for answers online.

"It was very frustrating," Alana said. "It actually took over my life, every spare minute I had I was googling or searching for advice and help to get the correct way forward."

After getting in touch with another mother whose son suffered the condition, she was recommended a surgeon at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

The surgeon immediately diagnosed Fraser and two months later he underwent a gruelling four-hour operation to repair and remould his skull.

"There was a lot of risks involved and I was in a bit of a mess on surgery day," Alana said. "It was the longest day of my life.

"They removed his back section of skull, then they put it into pieces basically and rebuilt it again, making his head wider.

"They then took off his forehead, they sorted his forehead out and stitched him back up."

But Alana said she could see the difference immediately.

"It was like looking at a different baby," she said. "I can't thank the surgeons enough for what they did to fix Fraser.

"They've just changed my life,they've changed Fraser's life. They're seriously skilled professionals."