A midwifery service designed to offer expectant mothers a wide range of birthing options has celebrated the delivery of its 100th baby in time for its first anniversary.

Employee-owned Neighbourhood Midwives was set up in Waltham Forest as a two-year pilot scheme.

The service commissioned by Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group last year saw 53 out of 100 women choose a home birth over a hospital birth.

Victoria Frederick was accompanied by midwives form the pioneering services when she gave birth to her son Hendrix.

“It’s been wonderful,” she said.

“I’ve always had a holistic view of healthcare.

“I can’t praise them enough. The midwives felt like part of the family from very early on.

“They made me feel really relaxed about everything and I think that has just been passed on to him as he is such a chilled baby.”

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Terry Huff, Chief Operating Officer, WF CCG; Rona McAndlish, Chair, Neighbourhood Midwives board; Baroness Cumberledge, Chair of the national maternity review; Annie Francis, Chief Executive, Neighbourhood Midwives.

Speaking at the service’s first birthday celebrations at Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow Village this week, Baroness Julia Cumberlege, chairman of the national maternity Better Births review, said others should learn from Neighbourhood Midwives.

“To me this success comes as no surprise,” she said.

“Continuity makes for better births.

“We know that with continuity (of care) we can prevent 24 per cent of premature births and in doing so reduce the number of stillbirths.”

Terry Huff, Chief Officer for Waltham Forest CCG, said the introduction of the service had been a “constructive disruption” to the way maternity services were delivered.

He said: “Everybody has had to change their approach to fit in with us.

“It’s good that we have got this off the ground and great to get so much good feedback.

“The success speaks for itself, with the number of homebirths we’ve seen in the first year.”