Mater Mackay baby boom breaks monthly record

A record number of babies were born at Mater Mothers' Private Mackay last month, with 50 newborns welcomed into the world at the North Mackay maternity service.

Hospital midwife Amy Kinlyside contributed to the record-breaking cohort with her baby boy, Hayes, amongst 25 boys born during the month of May.

In reversal of her usual role, Mrs Kinlyside, 28, said she was excited to be one of the mums creating the May baby boom at Mater.

“Sometimes the knowledge of being a midwife can make the birth hard, but knowing the other midwives personally made me feel safe and made the experience great,” said Mrs Kinlyside, a mother of three.

“I feel like it makes my place at Mater even more special.

“I’ve worked in a lot of different areas during my 11 years working at the hospital and being a midwife is my favourite position. I enjoy helping parents with their new babies and bringing new life into the world.”

Mater Private Hospital Mackay Executive Officer Elizabeth Thomas said the baby boom was a reason to celebrate, especially because a Mater midwife was part of the record number of births.

“We usually see 35 - 37 babies born a month, but 50 is definitely the highest number we’ve seen in a very long time,” Ms Thomas said.

“We usually see high numbers around September, October and December so to have such a large number in May is really unusual.”

Ms Thomas said 37 babies were born in March and 35 arrived in April.

“There could be a variety of reasons for the increase in the number of babies, including a rise people moving to the region for work in the resources sector or more couples seeking a private hospital experience for their birth,” she said.

“It could also be a pure coincidence. Whatever the reason, it’s exciting to have so many new babies and mums filling our maternity wards.”