Skip to main content

Infant Health

How to stay protected as Australia heads towards a whooping cough epidemic

Australia is heading towards a whooping cough epidemic, with cases surging past 11,000 over the past six months, compared to 2,447 in all of last year. 
A baby being give a vaccine.

Volunteer lends helping hand at hospital for 30 years

Over 30 years, Queensland volunteer Jenny Summerson has cuddled more than 1,000 of the state's tiniest babies.
Updated
'Cuddle Carer', Set of Safe Hands: A woman holding a small baby.
Duration: 2 minutes 5 seconds

What it takes to be a 'cuddle carer': Advice from a veteran of 1,000 hugs

When Jenny Summerson answered a newspaper ad in the 1990s for a hospital helper, she had no idea she'd become an expert cuddler in the maternity ward.
Updated
A tiny baby sleeping on someone's chest

Higher levels of oxygen could boost survival rates for premature babies, new study finds

Giving premature babies high concentrations of oxygen soon after birth may reduce the risk of death by 50 per cent, according to a new study led by the University of Sydney.
A premature baby.

'Vegan Dracula' fish excites scientists after discovery in Queensland waterways

The finding bucks the belief that lamprey fish live in cold climates and gives researchers hope the species could be resistant to climate change.
Updated
A close up of the mouth of what looks like an eel, with rows of teeth

Measles case reported in Adelaide boy who recently returned from overseas

SA Health says it is the sixth case of measles in South Australia this year, compared to three cases at the same time last year.
Skin of a patient after three days of measles infection.

'It's a controversial topic': Data shows tongue-tie procedures have skyrocketed in 30 years

As an exhausted first-time mum, Galen Elliott says she felt "like her world exploded" when she was told there was a potential problem with her newborn.
Updated
A shot of a baby, taken from above, as he lays in his mum's arms.

Lacey and Severio lost their baby at a Queensland hospital. One question haunts them

An ABC investigation uncovers sensational allegations by a whistleblower that dozens of expectant mothers who attended a Queensland hospital received substandard maternity care that put their babies' lives at risk and did not follow official clinical guidelines.
Updated
A man and woman stand together outside a house, looking into camera with a serious expression.

Why lactation cookies and teas can 'undermine' women's confidence in breastfeeding

Despite the testimonials by businesses selling lactation cookies and nursing teas, the evidence around the efficacy of these products is limited.
Updated
Close-up of woman eating a chocolate chip cookie over a cup of tea.

Six infants die in India after fire broke out in children's hospital

Six other babies were rescued and taken to another hospital where they remain in a critical condition. It's the second deadly blaze in India this weekend.
Updated
A burned out small bicycle among rubble with yellow police tape in front.

Regional SA mums forced to make 'stressful' 650km trip to give birth

A lack of resources and workforce shortages in birthing services at regional SA hospitals have forced mothers needing urgent or specialised care to travel as far as Adelaide.
A woman in a dark blue shirt holds a baby who is clothed, in her arms.

Born with a rare congenital defect, Arlo can't leave hospital. New cameras mean his family can monitor his every move

The introduction of livestreaming cameras mean Arlo's family has 24/7 access to his cot, and medical staff say the impact has been "life-changing".
Updated
A baby with a breathing tube displayed on a screen attached to a cot

'I thought I would have to say goodbye': Ashleigh celebrates first Mother's Day with Xavier 

Six-month-old Xavier Fisher has a rare genetic condition. While he may have the "odds stacked up against him" he surprises his mum everyday and is proving everyone wrong. 
A woman smiles holding a baby in her arms.

More school-aged children in NSW presenting to hospital

There's an increasing number of school-aged children with pneumonia presenting to hospitals in New South Wales.
Pneumonia Spike in Kids, Specific Strain: A boy blows his nose into tissues.
Duration: 3 minutes 50 seconds

Struggling to breathe and 'really out of it', baby Isabelle's RSV trauma prompts a mother's warning

The West Australian County Health Service says more than 100 cases of RSV have been recorded in the Kimberley over the past month, compared to a monthly average of 20-30.
Baby sleeping on hospital bed

'We can't outsource it': The importance of supporting loved ones who breastfeed

Most mothers start out breastfeeding their baby, but by the time babies are five months old, exclusive breastfeeding drops to 15 per cent. Valuing breastfeeding as work could help change that.
Updated
woman breastfeeds her newborn baby

Funding boost to childhood dementia research to help kids 'fulfil their dreams'

Childhood dementia kills as many Australian children as cancer but the former receives much less funding. The South Australian government has stepped in to help families like Renee Staska whose three children are living with the illness.
A young girl smiling

As soon as your baby starts solids, you should be introducing these foods to reduce their risk of allergies

Australia has the highest rate of food allergies in the world, with one in 10 babies allergic to foods like peanuts, eggs and milk by their first birthday. But did you know introducing these foods early can reduce that risk?
Updated
A person putting peanut butter on bread.

Australia 'has a big problem' with food allergies, but the exact cause is unknown

One in 10 children will have a proven food allergy in their first year of life, and by school, there'll be at least one child in every classroom. Yet, there is still no approved treatment and more services are desperately needed.
Updated
a baby in a nappy, covered in hives

Baby Avery was stillborn at 35 weeks — he's part of a tragic trend that hasn't changed in 20 years

Every day six babies are, on average, stillborn across the country — and the rate has remained effectively unchanged for two decades. Evidence shows in many cases stillbirth is preventable, but experts are concerned that outdated attitudes and data delays are still holding back progress.
Adelaide woman Megan Macolino lights a candle in tribute to her stillborn baby.

Staffing better but 'not ideal' at hospital where toddler was discharged two days before he died

Noah Souvatzis has been remembered at a coronial inquest in Melbourne this week as a beautiful, gentle boy who loved cuddles, lived for The Wiggles and never got his "chance at life".
Toddler Noah Souvatzis sitting on the floor at home

Checklist created by Canberra doctor saving lives of premature babies

The Extremely Preterm Early Management checklist provides a step-by-step guide for neonatal teams and has saved many lives since its introduction 2016.  
Life-Saving Checlist, Premature Babies: A man in a doctors office sits cross-legged.
Duration: 2 minutes 27 seconds

Gianna needed breathing support when she was born, but a simple checklist helped keep her alive

Having an extremely premature baby isn't an experience Canberra mother Katherine Musgrove would wish on anyone, but she says a management checklist for babies born extremely preterm made a bad situation much more manageable.
Updated
A woman with long hair and glasses smiles at a young blonde girl sitting on her lap, with building blocks on the floor.

Leo and Darcy live with a rare condition. Now, the supplement they need has been delisted by the PBS

Leo and Darcy live with a rare, life-long metabolic disorder and need to take a supplement that helps their quality of life. But that supplement has now been removed from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, prompting calls on the supplier and federal government.
Updated
two little boys looking at the camera

Plea for breastmilk donors as Queensland reaches less than two weeks' supply

Red Cross Lifeblood has had to bring in breastmilk from interstate to supply Queensland hospitals where it is needed for premature babies and those born with a low weight.
Updated
Man feeding baby a bottle