The number of older mothers has fluctuated over time, although the trend shows an overall increase, from 11,687 (4.0%) in 2009 to 13,440 (4.5%) in 2019.
Most older mothers access antenatal care in the first trimester (77%) and almost all older mothers have more than 5 antenatal visits (94%).
Over time, the most common onset of labour type for older mothers has become no labour (43% in 2019, up from 34% in 2009 when spontaneous was the most common onset of labour among older mothers), with a corresponding caesarean section rate of over 1 in 2 (55% in 2019) older mothers who gave birth.
Older mothers are unlikely to smoke during pregnancy, with 6.6% of older mothers reporting that they smoke in 2019. This rate has fallen over time (11% in 2009).
It is important to note that older mothers experience significant differences in relation to maternal characteristics, health behaviours and outcomes—and perinatal outcomes—when compared to the overall population of Australian mothers and babies. These differences can be explored when viewing ‘maternal age’ at the chapter or topic level throughout this report.