The COVID-19 pandemic caused huge disruptions to maternity care in Victoria. The COVID-19 Rapid Report of 2021 examined trends in 10 perinatal indicators during the first 10 months of the pandemic. In this updated COVID-19 Communique, prepared for the Consultative Council of Obstetric and Paediatric Morbidity and Mortality, we report on an expanded range of maternal and newborn indicators for the period Jan 2018 to June 2022.
Compared with the 2 years before the pandemic (2018-2019), the pandemic period saw a decline in preterm birth rates, newborn admissions to special care nurseries and neonatal intensive care units, severe fetal growth restriction, and length of stay for mothers and babies. Conversely, there was an increase in large-for-gestational-age infants, gestational diabetes mellitus, maternal body mass index, unplanned newborn readmissions for feeding issues, and births outside of hospitals.
The reduction in preterm birth (both spontaneous and iatrogenic) may be due to the interventions introduced by the national Preterm Birth Prevention program, which began before the pandemic. However, lockdown conditions, such as decreased physical activity and changes in environmental exposures, may have also contributed to this outcome. Further research is needed to understand this decline in preterm birth, which has been observed globally during the pandemic.
The significantly shorter length of hospital stays for mothers and babies has persisted through 2023, suggesting that this is the new normal for maternity care. However, this has been accompanied by significant increases in unplanned newborn and maternal postpartum readmissions, which may reflect the adverse consequences of early hospital discharge. No significant change in stillbirths from 28 weeks’ gestation was observed, which is reassuring.