500th Baby born at St John of God Ballarat Hospital

22 Dec 2021

Last Thursday, St John of God Ballarat hospital had their 500th baby of 2021. It’s a milestone that hasn’t happened at the hospital for more than 5 years. 

Whilst there has been steady growth in birth numbers over the last few years, there has been a noticeable spike in 2021.

“Recently we have seen birth numbers increase by 3-4% [each year], but through 2021 we have had a 10% increase,” says Acting Nurse Unit Manager, Erica Ferguson.

The hospital’s biggest month was October, which broke a hospital record for the number of births in a month. This was closely followed by June.

Erica says whilst it’s been challenging, it's always exciting to have a ward full of babies. "Its been really lovely to be busy helping families grow this year."

Most Popular baby names 2021

See our most popular baby names throughout the year: