Prospective mothers will have access to more natural birthing facilities at a Hackney hospital after maternity services were expanded.

The Homerton University Hospital maternity department installed three additional birthing pools and offers the option of inflatable birthing pools in its delivery suites after it received £350,000 earlier this year from the Department of Health.

Some of the money has been used to develop the nursery in the post-natal maternity ward, as well as installing a milk kitchen for expressed milk and new privacy screens.

Consultant Midwife Philippa Cox said: “We wanted to provide some of the same home-like equipment and aids to birth for mums in the main delivery suite that we already have in our birth ventre which caters for women having low risk deliveries.

“The delivery suite rooms are already equipped with all the necessary machinery to support a mother if any complications arise but we felt that they should also have the option of a more natural birth in a home-like environment if possible. That is why we have installed the birthing pools or offered the option of an inflatable pool in our delivery suite rooms. We are very proud to be one of the first maternity departments in London to have so many options for women in the main delivery suite.”

Midwife Matron Janet Bradley said: “Mums have already commented on the increased choice they are being given in the delivery suite. The new additions in the post natal ward have also been very well received.”