AN eagerly anticipated new arrival has made his way into Furness history by being the first baby to be born in the brand new South Lakes Birthing centre.

Making his mark on the world a week early, little McKenzie Kirkland had originally been due to appear on Valentines Day, the date of the £12m facility's official opening.

Arriving at 8.10am on Wednesday, February 7, weighing 7lbs 8oz the mini Barrovian has already stolen the hearts of staff and his parents, Keith and Ann-Marie Kirkland.

Mrs Kirkland said: "The whole experience has been brilliant. The new unit is beautiful - much better than the old unit.

"It is so much more open and the beds are really comfy. The staff have been great and looked after us really well.”

The first babies born at Furness General hospital- where are they now?

The family have already made their way home where they will introduce McKenzie to his big brothers, Malachy, 5, and Leo, 3.

Hospital staff and expectant mums moved into the unit on February 6 after a four week induction and orientation programme.

Sascha Wells, Director of Midwifery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), thanked all those involved for their hard work and dedication to ensuring the new unit was a success.

She said: “We are so excited to finally be in our brand new unit, and to welcome our first baby less than 24 hours after we moved in has made it even more special.

Were you one of the first babies born in Furness General hospital?

"Our staff have worked tirelessly to make the move as seamless as possible, and I’d like to thank each one of them for the professionalism and care they continued to show to colleagues and women throughout.

“This really is the start of a new beginning for our maternity services. We are so excited to build on the foundations we have put in place and will continue to work with our local communities to make sure our services are the best they can be."

The teams have also been busy celebrating the last baby born in the old maternity unit which opened in 1984.

Pippa Rae Strefford was born at 10.31am on Tuesday, February 6 weighing 8lbs 14oz.

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Born to Walney parents Gemma Miles and Nathan Strefford, Pippa is a little sister for two year old Isobel.

Both baby McKenzie and baby Pippa were presented with a special hampers full of goodies mark their place in Furness General Hospital’s history.

McKenzie was also presented with the first commemorative ‘I was born in South Lakes Birth Centre’ baby vest- These will be given to the first 50 babies born in the new unit.

VIDEO: South Lakes Birthing Centre hailed as "the last piece in the puzzle," as new era emerges

Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)

Special care baby unit also welcomed its first guest in the form of Louis Elias Pearson.

Born on January 26, at 35 weeks, Louis is baby brother to 22 month old Daniel Vincent Pearson, and a new bundle of joy for Dalton parents Gemma Spurr and Darren Pearson.

Miss Spurr said: "I think the new unit is lovely. It’s bigger than I expected and the facilities are great for local people.

"It’s amazing to be in here and experience it all. I work at FGH and in my opinion; our hospital doesn’t get enough praise.

"From mine and my partner’s personal experience with both our children, the staff are fantastic - they’re absolute angels.”

An exciting journey

Sue Smith, Executive Chief Nurse, UHMBT, said: “It only seems like a few months ago, we announced that we were investing in the new Maternity Unit at FGH and now, we’ve moved in and welcomed our first baby.

"It is such an exciting time for everyone and I am so pleased that we are finally in the new unit.

"We have always said that this unit belongs to the community; we just run it.

"From the very start, women, families, staff and members of the public have told us what they wanted the unit to be made up of, how they wanted it to look, and what they wanted it to stand for, and that is exactly what we have now.

"On behalf of the Trust, I’d like to thank everyone who helped us design the new unit and get us to where we are today."

John Woodock, MP for Barrow and Furness reacts to the news

"I can remember the positive response we had from shoppers in Barrow town centre when the Thousand Voices campaign was getting under way.

"People supported it instinctively because they knew how important it was to keep a consultant-led service at the hospital.

“I feel sure that all our campaigning has played a part in bringing us to where we are today and that the South Lakes Birth Unit will provide the gold standard maternity care that our community deserves.

“I am looking forward to meeting up again with some of the maternity campaigners and I hope that anyone reading this who was involved in any way will pop along for the celebration.”