First baby born in new £91m maternity unit

Baby Isla with mother Katy, father Erik and older brother James

The first baby has been born in Bournemouth's new £91m maternity unit.

Isla is the first newborn to arrive in the BEACH [Births, Emergency, And Critical care, children's health] building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital, which opened on Monday.

The building has replaced ageing facilities at St Mary's in Poole and Isla's birth symbolises the "start of an exciting new era", a hospital statement said.

Isla's mother, Katy, said her daughter arrived just after 11:00 BST on Monday with "a smooth birth and no complications".

She added: "We're thankful to all the staff here for their amazing care. I'm very tired but so excited, and our son, James, has happily told us he's, 'ready for not much sleep'."

St Mary's maternity unit has now officially closed its doors after 60 years of service.

Baby Ademole was the last to be born at the unit to mother, Dorcas, which staff said marked an "emotional farewell" to the site.

Dorcas said: "We didn't expect him to be born at St Mary's - he was supposed to arrive at the BEACH.

"It's been lovely hearing about the memories from St Mary's, and the team has shared their years of experience with us."

Baby Leandra was then the first baby to receive care at the new state-of-the-art maternity ward.

Mother Marina said: "The new facility is everything we could have hoped for.

"The staff, the environment, everything made this experience so special and comforting."

Dorcas welcomed her son, Ademole, as the last baby to be born in St Mary's, Poole

The BEACH building is set to welcome 4,400 babies a year, and emergency gynaecology and early pregnancy services will also now be based at the hospital.

Senior inpatient maternity matron, Christine Smith, added: "We're really delighted that our first baby has been born at the BEACH and so pleased that everything went well for this lovely family."

Baby Leandra was the first baby to receive care at the new BEACH unit, pictured here with her parents Marina and Stefan

Talking about the first day of births on the unit, chief nursing officer Sarah Herbert said it had been "bittersweet" to say goodbye to St Mary's.

"The move to the BEACH building is a tremendous leap forward in enhancing our maternity, neonatal and gynaecology services," she said.

"These state-of-the-art facilities will provide families with modern, comfortable care that reflects our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible experience for both parents and babies."

She added staff "look forward to welcoming many more families in the years to come".