A birthing centre celebrated its own birthday at the weekend – and dozens of mums who delivered their babies there attended the bash.

The families enjoyed birthday cake along with midwives and staff at the Barkantine Birthing Centre, which marked its fifth anniversary on Saturday.

The unit, which is run by Barts Health NHS Trust in Millwall, has delivered 2,011 babies since opening in Westferry Road in January 2008, and boasts five birthing rooms with a pool, en-suite bathrooms and balconies as well as TVs and CD players to make giving birth as pleasant as possible.

Mum Jushna Begum, who used to live on the Isle of Dogs but now lives in Newham, had all three of her children at the centre and said: “I can’t say enough about how wonderful and peaceful the Barkantine is. I had a fantastic experience with all my babies. The midwives are fantastic and stay with you throughout the labour and birth.”

Director of women’s services at Barts Health, Sandra Reading, said: “This is a fantastic landmark and something we are right to celebrate.

“For women whose pregnancies are straightforward, birth centres are an increasingly important option.”

For more information on the unit, call the Barkantine Birthing Centre on 020 7791 8300.