It was a labour of love in 2020 with seven new arrivals born every day on Ipswich Hospital’s busy maternity ward.

West Moreton Health midwives and doctors delivered 2577 babies in 2020 – a slight decrease on the 2731 babies born in 2019.

There were more boys (1332) than girls (1245) born to West Moreton families in 2020 – a repeat of 2019 when 1382 boys and 1349 girls were born.

There was also a decrease in the number of multiple births at Ipswich Hospital – 28 sets of twins were delivered in 2020 compared with 42 sets in 2019.

West Moreton Health Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Karyn Ehren said Ipswich Hospital provided safe, person-centred care for maternity patients.

“What better way to celebrate the start of a new year in 2021 than by sharing the stories of the families that deliver their babies with us, and who continue to visit Ipswich Hospital as they grow up. It’s an honour to be there at the start of bub’s journey through life,” she said.

“We offer community midwifery clinics at Laidley, Redbank, Goodna and South Ripley so that expectant mums can be seen closer to home, and we also share care arrangements with GPs or private midwives.”

Several new roles have been created within the nursing and midwifery team over the past two years to meet the needs of a growing and diverse community.

These roles include an Emergency Department midwife who supports expectant mothers on arrival; multicultural liaison midwives who provide culturally safe care; an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advanced Health Worker for maternal and infant care; a dedicated expert midwife to improve neonatal care; a Midwifery Navigator who coordinates complex care arrangements; specialist clinicians who manage gestational diabetes; and dedicated bereavement care for parents experiencing the loss of their baby.

“Our postnatal services include follow-up contact from a midwife (either a home visit, telehealth consultation or phone call), child health clinics, breastfeeding support and parent wellbeing services,” Ms Ehren said.

“We also provide additional information to expectant mums to ensure they feel reassured, safe and supported while delivering their baby at Ipswich Hospital.”