Celebrations greeted the arrival of baby Taylor Mitchell Lambe on Monday as the 1,000th birth at The Edgware Birth Centre.

Parents Sharon Lambe and Hisham Zadan from Trenchard Close, Colindale, were delighted when Taylor weighed in at 7lb 15oz, after delivery by water birth at 8pm.

The centre accounts for 15 per cent of all such births in England and Wales.

Sharon, 30, said: "This is such a special place because the staff are so lovely, they have been really fantastic. This was my first water birth I came here after a friend recommended it.

"The centre is great because it's really cosy and all about what you want to happen, not what doctors or nurses want."

The centre, based at Edgware Community Hospital, opened in 1997 and has since become a European model of excellence for child birth. It allows women to give birth in an environment suited to them.

Betty Larkin, senior manager of the centre for Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "This is a fantastic milestone.

"We are very proud of all the babies born with us but obviously Taylor has a very special significance."

October 24, 2001 11:44

IAN LLOYD