The number of multiple births in Australia each year is small, representing less than 2% of all births. Of this small proportion, almost all multiple births (99%) were twins, while the remaining 1.5% were other multiples (that is, triplets, quadruplets or higher).
The number of multiple births has been increasing, coinciding with increasing maternal age at birth and use of assisted reproductive technology.
Most mothers of multiples attended an antenatal visit in the first trimester (4 in 5). More than 1 in 2 mothers had no labour, and mothers of multiples therefore had a high rate of caesarean sections (7 in 10).
The vast majority of babies from multiple births had an Apgar score of 7–10 at 5 minutes (9 in 10), indicating that they have adapted well post-birth. More than half of babies in multiple births were born low birthweight or pre-term (almost 7 in 10), including babies who were both low birthweight and pre-term. As a result, 2 in 3 babies of multiple births were admitted to SCN or NICU, and 1 in 2 had hospital stays of 6 days or more.