North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Newborn death rate lower than average
The number of babies dying from mid-pregnancy to just after birth on the North Shore and in West Auckland is far below the national average.
In a report released by the Health Quality and Safety Commission, which studies the deaths of babies and their mothers, Waitemata District Health Board was found to have the second lowest perinatalrelated mortality rate in the country.
The DHB recorded 7665 births over the 2015 calendar year. Of those, the DHB recorded 58 perinatal-related deaths, at a rate of 7.6 per 1000 births.
Perinatal deaths are those from 20 weeks gestation, or weighing more than 400 grams when gestation is unknown, until midnight of the sixth day of the baby’s life.
The national perinatalrelated mortality rate for the same period was 9.7 per 1000 births. This is the lowest reported rate in the 13 years the commission has been collecting data. A total of 576 perinatalrelated deaths were recorded across the country over the year.
Hawkes’s Bay District Health Board had the lowest rate at 6.9 per 1000, with 2026 birth and 14 deaths. Whanganui District Health Board had the highest at 14.6 per 1000, with 822 births and 12 deaths.
The Waitemata DHB, which runs North Shore and Waitakere hospitals, also recorded 13 terminations of pregnancy, 29 stillbirths and 16 neonatal deaths for the 2015 period.
DHB general manager of Child, Women & Family Stephanie Doe said the hard work and commitment of maternity carers, maternity and neonatal staff helped give babies born in the area the best possible start in life.
One DHB initiative to improve maternal and newborn care was emphasising the importance of normal baby movements, urging mothers to get to know their baby’s movement patterns and to contact medical providers if they had any concerns.
‘‘A change in a baby’s normal movement pattern with weaker or fewer movements or no movements at all can sometimes be the only sign that a baby is unwell and at risk of Stillbirth,’’ she said.
The Ministry of Health recorded 59,308 births from 58,957 mothers over 2015. One in every three women giving birth had a normal birth, with more boys born than girls.