A recent study indicates there’s an increase in Australian women giving birth in their early to mid-thirties. 

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) found that in 1999, 42,000 mothers aged 35 and over gave birth to their first born.

Twenty years later in 2019, results showed a substantial increase with 76,000 babies born to mothers of a similar age range. 

“The average age of all women giving birth in Australia has been rising, including for first-time mothers,” said AIHW’s Bernice Cropper.

“The average maternal age has increased from 27.1 years in 1979 to 30.8 years in 2019 for all mothers.”

“There can be advantages to giving birth later in the life,” Ms Cropper said.

The report also found that first time mothers in their 30’s were less likely to be smokers and more inclined to receive ante natal care in the first trimester of pregnancy.

“‘Generally, risk factors and outcomes were similar for mothers aged 35 to 39 and 20 to 34 but mothers aged 40 and over were a little more likely to have a baby born pre-term or requiring admission to a special care nursery,” Ms Cropper said.