Reporting on Indigenous Health: Report of the Chief Health Officer, 2000.

MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE REPORT Recent trends • The number of births in NSW remained stable at about 86,000 to 88,000 between 1994 and 1998. The proportion of teenage mothers decreased from 5.0 to 4.8 per cent, while the proportion of mothers aged 35 years and over increased from 13.1 to 16.3 per cent. • The reported number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers giving birth increased from 1,531 in 1994 (1.8 per cent of all mothers) to 2,043 in 1998 (2.4 per cent). Part of this increase is likely to be due to an increased willingness of mothers to be identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. • The rate of normal vaginal birth remained stable at about 70 per cent between 1994 and 1998. The caesarean section rate increased from 17.3 to 19.0 per cent and the rate of instrumental delivery remained steady at approximately 10.5 per cent. • Since 1994, the perinatal mortality rate varied from 8.8 to 9.6 per 1,000. About two-thirds of all perinatal deaths were stillbirths and one-third were neonatal deaths. • In the period 1990-96, 81 deaths were reported among pregnant women or women who gave birth less than six weeks previously. Fifty-three of these were classified as directly or indirectly associated with the pregnant state.