BASS Coast Health’s Maternity team wrapped up an extremely busy year in 2024, with 219 babies born at Wonthaggi Hospital – just four babies shy of the all-time record number of babies born in a single year.
That record of 223 was set in 2013 during the construction of the desalination plant at Wonthaggi, no doubt due to the influx of young families to the Bass Coast to help with the major construction project.
Bass Coast Health (BCH), the public health service that operates Wonthaggi Hospital, expanded its Midwifery service last year to cater for a rising demand by building two extra post-natal beds.
BCH’s Midwifery Unit Manager Relle McMillin said her team was proud to be helping young families enjoy a special time in their lives – the birth of their child – and welcomed the large number of babies born at Wonthaggi.
“I think the team’s dedication and commitment to providing safe, woman-centred care is showing through in women’s experiences and the stories they are sharing with friends and family,” she said.
“We are also working really hard with external providers, GPs, private midwives and allied health professionals to have excellent communication.”
The increasing number of young families moving to the Bass Coast due to the attractive lifestyle was also a factor contributing to the rise in babies born.
While most women who give birth at Wonthaggi Hospital are from Bass Coast Shire, more women are now travelling from further afield, such as Lang Lang and Koo Wee Rup.
Catering to the growing demand, BCH has expanded its midwifery team significantly over the last two years, now employing 23 midwives, post-graduate student midwives and 11 casual midwives who pick-up shifts when required. There are also plans for expansion into the future.
The team of midwives’ care for families during the ante-natal, birth, post-natal and early years periods, in the Maternity Ward at Wonthaggi Hospital and also in the community as Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Nurses.
With 28 born already this year, it could be another big one for Wonthaggi. Gippsland Southern Health Service’s Leongatha Hospital isn’t far behind with 26 babies born this year so far.
