Pharmacy Daily | More babies born, and to older mums

IN AUSTRALIA there was a record increase in babies born in 2021.

Overall, 315,705 babies were born, about 20k more than the year before (a 6.7% increase), according to an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report, Australia's mothers and babies.

"In 2021, the birth rate was 61 births per 1,000 women of reproductive age (aged 15-44 years), up from 56 births per 1,000 women in 2020, but lower than the most recent peak in 2007 (66 births per 1,000 women)," said AIHW spokesperson Deanna Eldridge.

Consistent with previous trends, more women are giving birth later in life.

In 2021, around one in four women who gave birth were aged 35 years and older.

"Average maternal age continues to increase for first-time mothers (from 28.4 years in 2011 to 29.7 years in 2021) and for those who have given birth previously (from 31.3 years in 2011 to 32.2 years in 2021)," said Eldridge.

Despite higher risks of health complications associated with later-in-life pregnancies, most mothers aged 35 years and above and their babies do well.

In 2021, more than nine in 10 babies born to women aged 35 years and over were born at-term and had a healthy birth weight (between 2.5kg and 4.499 kg).

Fewer than one in 10 babies were born pre-term (8.2%) or had low birthweight (6.3%).

Overall, the number of pre-term and low birthweight babies has remained stable over the past decade.

In general, more Australian mothers, including First Nations mothers, are accessing antenatal care.

In 2021, 80% of all mothers accessed antenatal care in their first trimester, and 95% had five or more antenatal care visits.

"We continue to see a consistent downward trend in the number of women who smoke while pregnant.

"In 2021, 8.7% of mothers reported smoking during their pregnancy, down from 13% in 2011.

"Furthermore, more than one in five mothers who smoked at the start of their pregnancy quit after the first 20 weeks," said Eldridge.

Mothers aged 35 years and above were less likely to report smoking during pregnancy (5.5%) compared with mothers aged 20 years and under (33%).