Midwives at a Norfolk hospital celebrated a landmark arrival yesterday following the birth of the 1,000th baby at its midwifery-led birthing unit.

Dorothy Elizabeth was born shortly before 4am, weighing 7lb 12oz, at the James Paget University Hospital, much to the delight of proud parents Gareth and Lucy Jones of Southwold.

The birth was also met with celebrations by staff on the Dolphin Suite who had been anticipating the landmark arrival in recent days.

The unit, which has three en-suite rooms, two of which have birthing pools, was officially opened by BBC weather presenter Julie Reinger in May 2011 and is run by the hospital's midwives.

The facility aims to create a more homely environment for women giving birth.

Carol Mutton, head of midwifery at the Gorleston hospital, said: 'We are delighted that the 1,000th baby has been born in the unit, and on behalf of everyone at the James Paget, we offer our congratulations to Gareth and Lucy on their new arrival. The Dolphin Suite has been a huge success since it opened just over three years ago, exceeding our own high expectations.'

'When we planned the unit, the estimate was that 10pc of births would happen there. I am delighted that this has been surpassed, achieving around 14pc. The women and their supporters who have given birth in the suite have appreciated the tranquillity of the unit and really have felt it was like a home from home.'

'There is a core team of midwives working there with invaluable support from community midwives who bring with them the skills they have with supporting women who choose to give birth at home. We look forward to welcoming the next 1,000 women and their supporters to our unit.'