FORMER Page Three girl Melinda Messenger gave birth to a baby boy after an emergency Caesarean at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.

The model-turned actress gave birth two weeks prematurely after being rushed to the Headington-based Women's Centre following a routine ante-natal check-up.

She and husband Wayne Roberts have named their son, who weighed in at just under 6lb, Morgan.

John Radcliffe spokesman Megan Turmezei said Miss Messenger, who gave birth on Friday, would probably leave the hospital today.

News of the new baby came on the same day as Mrs Turmezei guaranteed the Women's Centre would not close, despite a national midwife shortage.

Experts from three royal colleges say the NHS is 1,600 specialists short of the number needed to maintain services at full strength. And a lack of midwives could see the demise of 80 maternity units nationwide.

But Mrs Turmezei said: "We will not be closing the maternity unit. Like other hospitals we are short of midwives, just as we are nurses, but we have launched a strategy to try to recruit more staff."

Story date: Tuesday 11 April

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