There’s a baby boom going on in Melbourne’s outer north.
January was a record-breaking month at Epping’s Northern Hospital, where 340 babies were born.
Among them were four set of twins, while 155 of the new arrivals were boys and 174 girls.
Chief nursing and midwifery officer Jodie Ashworth said the busy month meant midwives delivered one baby every two hours, on average.
She said while the hospital was prepared for January to be busy – with baby booms happening in January and September each year – she said she was surprised just how many babies had been born.
“We have plans in place for busy times to look after the community,” she said. “When we get an unprecedented number of women giving birth, we put those plans in place.”
She said the hospital was delighted with positive feedback from new parents, with health department measures showing an increase in the quality and safety of patient care and more positive patient experiences.
Ms Ashworth said the hospital understood that Melbourne’s outer north was growing fast.
She said it had spent the past few years investing in its maternity staff, with many now living locally as well.
She said the increase in young families moving to Craigieburn, in particular, was keeping birth numbers high.
“The northern corridor population is expected to grow by 59 per cent by 2031.
“We need to start to plan because there is not a release valve. The growth is going to continue,” she said.
