MP Emily Thornberry donates new birthing couch to Whittington Hospital

Published: 28th January, 2011

A LABOUR MP has given women in labour a present to make the experience of giving birth a little easier. Emily Thornberry presented a birthing couch to the maternity unit at Whittington Hospital in Archway.

It is specially designed to make new mothers feel as comfortable as possible. 

Ms Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, said: “I’m pleased to say that at my age I’m unlikely to need to use this bed myself, but I’m very proud to donate this birthing couch to the Whittington, which will help other Islington mothers have a normal, active birth.”

Ms Thornberry has two sons, aged 19 and 11, and a 17-year-old daughter.

She was given the birthing couch last year by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), the UK’s largest parenting charity, to donate to the Whittington as a “thank you” for her work as chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Maternity Services.