Every week counts for a healthier start to life
16 February 2024
Around 300,000 babies are born in Australia every year. Approximately 100,000 are delivered in NSW, with almost one-quarter of these babies born preterm (<37 weeks) or early term (<39 weeks). On 20 February, the Clinical Excellence Commission will co-host Every Week Counts, a conference on preterm birth, early birth and stillbirth prevention. Health workers from every local health district in NSW will attend to hear from experts and discuss strategies to extend pregnancies to 40 weeks if safe.
“Every pregnancy should be allowed to progress as far as it is safe for mother and baby because every week counts.”
Prof Jonathan Morris, Medical Clinical Co-Lead Maternity Intelligence System
“In NSW, our outcomes are among the best in the country,” Professor Jonathan Morris, Medical Clinical Co-Lead of the Clinical Excellence Commission’s QIDS Maternity Intelligence System (QIDS MatIQ), and Deputy Chair of the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention said. The CEC and the alliance are co-hosts of the conference.
“We now have access to timely data on all public hospital births within the state. We have a strong maternity system that is, overall, providing a high quality of care across the state,” Prof Morris said.
A concern for maternity experts like Prof Morris, however, is the increasing trend towards early intervention such as induction and prelabour caesarean section; a trend that is not unique to Australia and comes with risks for mothers and babies.
Research has shown, for example, that preterm birth (before 37 weeks) and early term birth (at 37 and 38 weeks) can have lifelong behavioural and educational impacts on children.
“Around 24 per cent of babies in NSW are born early; that’s over 20,000 babies a year. The goal is to extend pregnancies to 39 and 40 weeks wherever safe to do so. Every pregnancy should be allowed to progress as far as it is safe for mother and baby because every week counts,” Prof Morris said.
The conference is a way to deliver these messages to 250 attendees, most of whom are at the frontline, working as midwives and obstetricians, and some of who are maternity leaders and clinical directors. They will hear a range of opinions, and not only from clinical leaders, but from mothers who will share their own stories.
The Clinical Excellence Commission will showcase its work at the conference, including its pioneering QIDS Maternity Intelligence System (QIDS MatIQ), which allows healthcare professionals from across the state to access, measure and interpret data for continuous improvement.
Learn more about Every Week Counts.