Overview

A newborn baby's health can be a key determinant of their health and wellbeing throughout life. Factors such as physical health, social wellbeing and exposure to harmful behaviours can influence health outcomes for both mothers and babies.

More reports and statistics on mothers & babies can be found under Children & youth and Men & women.

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Latest findings

Maternal death was 5 times more likely in women who smoked during pregnancy compared with women who did not smoke

6.6% of liveborn babies were low birthweight in 2019

More than 30% of perinatal deaths were caused by a congenital anomaly

The majority (78%) of mothers aged 35 and over had their first antenatal visit at less than 14 weeks gestation

One in 8 (13%) babies of mothers aged 40 and over were pre-term, compared with 8.2% of babies born to mothers aged 20–34

2% of older mothers were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

Highlights