Arrival is 1,000th baby born at centre

The bouncing baby boy, whose parents have not yet decided on a name for him, was born at the centre at Great Western Hospital at 4.11am, weighing in at a healthy 7lb 4oz.

Mum Alla Borets and dad Sahba Badii, of Grange Park, were delighted with the latest addition to their family and overjoyed that he was the 1,000th delivery in the £600,000 centre, which celebrated its first anniversary in March.

Alla said: “We were very surprised when we were told he was the 1,000th – we didn’t know until he was almost born so it is lovely.

“We knew we were having a boy but we still haven’t decided on a name for him – we have three different cultures to please as I am from the Ukraine and Sahba is from Iran, so we have been thinking very hard over the past nine months.”

The couple, who already have two daughters – four-year-old Delara and three-year-old Maryam – came in to the centre at 3.30am and were ready to go home before lunchtime.

“Delara and Maryam are very excited about meeting their new brother,” said Alla.

“He looks a lot like his sisters did when they were born with dark hair. We are very pleased.”

Midwife Cheryl Faulkner, who has worked in the centre since it opened, said: “We have delivered more babies than we expected since we opened.

“We were only expecting about 700 babies in our first year, but when we celebrated our first anniversary, we had done a total of 875 babies so it has been much better than expected.

“Every week is different: some weeks we may deliver about 20, but it can vary and we may have days when we don’t deliver any babies but on days like these, help is always needed elsewhere.

“We are over the moon at how much of a success it has been.”

Back in March, mothers who gave birth in the centre during its first month of opening were invited back to join in the celebrations.

So far, more than £10,000 in donations has been given to the centre to help buy new furniture to give it a home-from-home atmosphere.