Fewer births registered in second quarter

More boys than girls were born in the second quarter of this year according to statistics published by the National Obstetric Information System (NOIS).

Between April and June, 887 babies were born, including 11 pairs of twins in 876 deliveries. The number of births in the second quarter of this year dropped by 59 when compared with the same period last year.

Two of the mothers who gave birth were under 15, with the youngest being 14. The majority of mothers, 351, were in the 25 - 29 age group, followed by the 30 - 34 and the 20 - 24 age groups. There were no mothers over 45.

Statistics issued by Miriam Gatt from the NOIS show that 16 per cent of deliveries occurred to mothers who were never married, an increase of two per cent over the same period last year. The statistics show that 135 of the 137 unmarried mothers were registered as having support at home to raise the child.

Four per cent of the women who gave birth between April and June this year were non-Maltese.

Just over half of the mothers - 51 per cent - gave birth to their first baby. In the same period last year, 49 per cent of the mothers had given birth to their first baby.

Although the majority of mothers who gave birth during the second quarter of this year did not smoke, more mothers smoked than during the same period last year. In fact, the NOIS statistics showed that nine mothers smoked between one and three cigarettes a day, compared with two mothers in the second quarter of 2003, while 52 mothers smoked more than three cigarettes a day compared with 19 mothers in the same period last year. Four of the mothers admitted to drug abuse and no mothers said they consumed alcohol.

Eight mothers were suffering from pre-delivery haemorrhage, three from pre-eclampsia (characterised by high blood pressure and sudden swelling, and at times is accompanied by rapid weight gain in the second half of pregnancy, and protein in the urine), two from placenta praevia (when the placenta covers part or all of the cervix), another two from abruption of the placenta and 43 from gestational hypertension. Five of the mothers needed assisted fertilisation.

Dr Gatt said that in the second quarter of this year there were six mothers registered as being insulin dependent diabetic before this pregnancy and 18 mothers were registered with gestational diabetes and were controlled without the use of insulin. One mother had gestational diabetes and was treated with insulin.

The NOIS statistics showed that 25 per cent of the mothers had two ultrasounds during their pregnancy. In 22 per cent of the pregnancies one ultrasound was carried out, while another 22 per cent had three ultrasounds, 11 per cent had four and six per cent had five or more.

Dr Gatt said 68 per cent of the births were vertex delivery (normal delivery), while 30.3 per cent were emergency or elective Caesarean section and three per cent by assisted vaginal delivery, including forceps, ventouse and breech.

The NOIS said 93 per cent of the babies weighed between 2,500 and 4,999 grams. It said 58 babies were of low birth weight and five were of very low weight.

Eight babies were stillborn, while there was one early neonatal death and one late neonatal death.