Gliding confidently beneath the ripples , this baby boy has taken to swimming like a duck to water . And it may have saved his life – regular dips since he was just seven weeks old helped William Jones build up enough strength to survive open heart surgery . Here he is at 15 weeks , enjoying a swim just two days before being admitted to the paediatric cardiac unit at Southampton General Hospital where he had surgery to repair a hole in his heart . William , who has Down ’ s syndrome , was taken swimming by his parents , Susan , 41 , a teacher , and Andrew , 39 , a warrant officer in the Army , who wanted him to be strong enough to cope with the operation . Watershed moment : William Jones enjoys a swim at 15 weeks old just before undergoing open heart surgery . A little superman : After just a few sessions in the swimming pool William 's parents notices his muscles developing . And he was . After the surgery , William battled complications – at one point suffering a cardiac arrest and needing 45 minutes of CPR . But after four months recovering , he is well enough to be back at home with his family in Cirencester , Gloucestershire . Yesterday , Mrs Jones said : ‘ He is definitely my little superman . 'The swimming has helped improve his muscle tone and gain strength in preparation for cardiac surgery . 'The first time we took William to the pool he stretched back and floated happily . He really seems to love being in the water . ‘ With Down ’ s syndrome , muscle is quite weak but after just a couple of sessions in the pool we noticed his muscles were developing. ’ Before surgery William had eight lessons in a hydrotherapy pool organised by baby swimming teachers Aquatots . And now he is growing stronger , his mum can ’ t wait to see him paddling again . ‘ We are very keen to get him back in the pool as soon as possible because it is really going to help with his development , ’ she said . Recovery : William spent four months in Southampton General Hospital after having the operation . His parents Susan and Andrew have since taken him home . William was admitted to Southampton General Hospital after being born with a hole in his heart . He is now at home with his family . All better : The baby recovered so well his parents were able to take him home recently . They credited his regular swimming with him being able to withstand the trauma on his tiny body . The baby started going swimming with his family at just seven weeks old . He is pictured with his mother Susan who is a teacher .
Down Jones has been swimming since he was just seven weeks old . The baby has William 's syndrome and also required surgery on his heart . His parents decided to take him swimming to build up muscle strength . Down fought off complications following the operation in Southampton . After spending four months in hospital he is well enough to be back home .