But there are some mothers-to-be who don't have an easy pregnancy or birth, sometimes unfortunately resulting in stillbirth.
Because of this, midwives at Echuca Regional Health have made it their mission to reduce the number of stillbirths around the country thanks to their new Safer Baby Project.
“We saw that statistics hadn't changed in the last two decades,” ERH midwife Holly Simonsen said.
“Six babies are stillborn every day in Australia and we knew we wanted to do something to change that.”
A small group of midwives and other staff from the hospital came together to start up the project in May 2018.
“We've been able to pull together a number of helpful resources as well as implement necessary measures to help reduce these statistics in our area,” Ms Simonsen said.
Staff are working to inform pregnant women of factors that pose a risk to the health of an unborn baby.
“We encourage expected mothers to quit smoking while they're pregnant and we've introduced a Smokerlyzer to help us with that,” Ms Simonsen said.
Every pregnant woman uses the machine, and the baby's risk is rated before midwives and doctors help the mother reduce these risks.
“We've seen a lot of success with the machine and we want to keep adding to the project.”
Communication is key, with the team encouraging mothers to keep track of the growth and movements of their baby and speak with their doctor or midwife if something isn't right.
“We want mothers to know sleeping on your side is safe for the baby, in fact it actually helps reduce your risk of stillbirth if you sleep on either side after 28 weeks,” Ms Simonsen said.
The group meets monthly via video conference to update other facilities of its progress, as well as meeting in person regularly.
“At our last conference late last year, it was clear Echuca were ahead of the game,” Loddon Mallee regional midwife Sarah Watts said.
“There are a few bigger facilities that have a lot more resources that aren't nearly as advanced as ERH and we're very happy with their progress.”
The team wants to continue to develop the project and keep progressing successfully.
“As midwives, we're passionate about keeping our mothers and babies safe. If we can do anything to reduce the number of stillbirths in the long run, we'll do what we can,” Ms Simonsen said.
You can find video resources and more information at saferbaby.org.au
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