Northern Territory Midwives Collection Mothers and Babies 1995

Abstract

This report presents information for 1995 on the health of new mothers and their babies. The primary purpose of the report is to inform and encourage community discussion regarding the health of the women who gave birth in 1995, as well as that of their babies. This should assist policy makers and health planners to provide better services to the community. In addition, the report aims to provide feedback to midwives, Aboriginal health workers, community health nurses and medical practitioners involved with maternal and child health. The information presented in this report was compiled from several sources including the NT Midwives' Collection, the termination of pregnancy notification system, he congenital abnormality notification system, the hospital morbidity database, the NT Register of Births, Deaths and Mariages, and the NT Coroner's Offices. The NT Midwives' Collection is a population-based census of all births in public and private hospitals as well as home births that occur in the Northern Teritory. All livebirths and stillbirths of at least 20 weeks gestation or with birthweight of at least 400 grams are included. A notification form containing demographicc information as well as information on maternal health, the pregnancy, labour and delivery, and perinatal health is completed by the attending midwife when a birth ocurs (see appendix). The completed forms are sent to the Epidemiology Branch of Territory Health Services for processing and analysis. A similar process is involved with the Termination of Pregnancy Notification forms. Information on infant deaths was obtained from the NT Register of Birth, Deaths and Marriages. Congenital malformation data were collected on forms filled in by doctors.