Great Ormond Street celebrates its first birth – after 157 years

(PA)

The mother of a cancer patient has given birth during a visit at Great Ormond Street Hospital – a first in the hospital's 157-year history.

Nicola Tyler, 32, from Canvey Island, Essex, was staying with her daughter Kelly, six, when she gave birth to baby Zac, five days early on 4 September.

Ms Tyler had been in the hospital for four days with Kelly, who was being treated for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, when she went into labour.

The famous central London hospital does not have a maternity unit so intensive care senior staff nurse Caroline Kanyanga, who is also a qualified midwife, delivered baby Zac with the help of clinical site practitioner Mike Wise and clinical nurse specialist Ailish Barry before paramedics arrived.

Ms Tyler said: "It is incredible that such a broad team of specialists helped me give birth to my beautiful baby boy and I cannot thank them enough, not just for the care they gave to Zac and I, but for what they have done for Kelly, too."

Zac stayed with his mother and sister at Great Ormond Street for four days while Kelly finished her course of treatment.