Brown's baby faces long hospital stay

Gordon Brown: "Politics seems less important"

Chancellor Gordon Brown has said his new-born daughter will have to stay in hospital until the middle of February.

He was speaking after a 90-minute visit to see his wife Sarah and baby Jennifer at Forth Park Maternity Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

Mr Brown said on Sunday that the pair were both doing well.

The couple's first child was born seven weeks early on Friday by Caesarian section, weighing only 2lb 4oz.

Dr Mahmood delivered the baby

Mr Brown said: "She's doing a lot better today, but she will be in hospital until the middle of February, almost two months."

The chancellor had earlier said he was "delighted" at the birth of his baby daughter.

He has also paid tribute to the doctors and the nurses who delivered his daughter, saying that the birth had been "difficult" but that everything had gone "smoothly" since.

Doctors made the decision to operate following a routine scan on Thursday and consultation with colleagues and the parents.

The chancellor told reporters outside the hospital in his Dunfermline East constituency: "Our baby surprised us by coming so early into the world, but she has had the best of treatment from the health service."

The 50-year-old Mr Brown showed no sign of his Iron Chancellor reputation as he said that his daughter was the "most beautiful in the world".

'Superb feeling'

Mr Brown said: "It is overwhelming. I have probably waited a longer time than most people to be a father and it is just a superb feeling."

The chancellor said he was "looking forward" to the changes that the birth will bring to his life.

He said: "I'll be taking some paternity leave immediately but also I want to take a few days off when the baby comes home from hospital in the next few weeks.

"Politics seems less important today. It gives you a great sense of optimism about the future. And when you see your young daughter smiling and moving around, it's a superb feeling."

Mr Brown thanked hospital staff

Consultant neo-natalogist Dr Laura Stewart said Jennifer was receiving photo-therapy treatment for jaundice - a condition she described as "very common" in premature babies.

Dr Tahir Mahmood, the consultant obstetrician who delivered Jennifer Jane, said the baby had been suffering from intra-uterine growth restriction, a condition which occurs in 10% of pregnancies and causes the child to have an irregular heart rate.

Mrs Brown was expected to remain at the hospital for several days before being allowed home.

A spokesman for the chancellor said that Mr Brown and his wife had chosen the name Jennifer because they thought it fitted their new daughter.

Jane was chosen because it is Mrs Brown's middle name and also a family name.

The chancellor and 37-year-old Sarah were married in a private ceremony in Fife, Scotland, in August last year.