• About 252,400 babies are born in Australia each year
• 0.4 per cent are under one kilogram
• One percent are under 1.5 kilogram
• In the late 1970’s about 40 per cent of babies under one kilogram would be expected to survive
• 70 per cent of babies born under one kilogram now survive
• The average birth weight of a full-term baby is 3.5 kilograms

Care Managers

Most hospitals will assign a Care Manager for your baby.

The care manager will be a Neonatal Nurse who has experience in both Neonatal Intensive Care and Special Care Nurseries.
The Care Manager's role includes:

• Support for you and your family while your baby is in the Intensive or Special Care nurseries.
• Coordination of care for your baby
• Assistance with expressing once you are discharged home and while your baby remains in the nurseries.
• Discharge planning: assisting with the discharge of your baby from the nurseries to either the postnatal ward if you are still an in patient, or to a hospital closer to home or home once you have been discharged.

When your baby no longer requires the specialised care of a tertiary level hospital, he/she may be transferred to another hospital that provides continuing care for babies. This allows the beds at the tertiary level hospitals to be better utilised for the benefit of all sick babies who may require these specialised services.