23 Jul 2020

Fewer babies born early during lockdown

From First Up, 5:35 am on 23 July 2020

A leading obstetrician says she hopes new evidence that shows fewer babies were born prematurely during the lockdown could help prevent future early births. Hospitals in Denmark and Ireland revealed huge drops in the number of babies born too early. Michelle Wise, who's also a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, says life can be tough for very premature babies - and the new information could reveal vital insights about why they arrive early. She told health correspondent Rowan Quinn her colleagues saw the same trend happening in New Zealand's lockdown.