Sonia recalls her first pregnancy: her baby boy arriving ten weeks early.

Little Alexander was born prematurely, weighing little more than a handful of grapes at just 1.3 kilograms. The unexpected labour led to the unthinkable — a 10-day stint in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at King Edward Memorial Hospital.

It’s something no mother, no parent, should have to go through — the severe complications, not being able to hold your baby, and seeing them tangled in tubes.

“If we can reduce the incidence of that happening, then fewer families will need to go through that experience,” she tells me.

While Sonia went on to have a second and third child, Xavier and Clara, those pregnancies revealed further complications.

Despite being monitored even more closely because of her medical history and experiencing no obvious symptoms, other than generally feeling unwell and more exhausted than expected, blood tests led to a diagnosis of preeclampsia and recurrent cholestasis — two serious pregnancy complications that can increase the risk of preterm birth if left unmanaged. Preeclampsia is characterised by high blood pressure and signs of organ stress, while cholestasis affects the liver and can cause a build-up of bile acids during pregnancy.

“Preeclampsia awareness and education could help parents recognise warning signs earlier and seek timely care,” she explains.

She admits she knew “very little” about birth complications and the real risk of preterm birth. Many don’t know that preterm birth is the single greatest cause of death in young children worldwide and one of the major causes of lifelong disability such as cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness and behavioural and learning problems.

The reality of having a baby too soon is overwhelming and stressful — something no parent should have to imagine. But it does happen. Sonia’s experience is just one of many.

Her baby, Alexander, is one of more than 26,000 premature babies born in Australia every year with one in every twelve pregnancies ending too early.

Last year, the Australian Government announced it was continuing its investment in Australia’s world-first national program to safely reduce rates of early birth, committing $5.3 million to expand the Every Week Counts National Preterm Birth Prevention Collaborative.

Today the Assistant Minister for Health announced an additional $6.8 million for the Every Week Counts program to run through to June 2028.

It’s a program that has been adopted in maternity hospitals all over Australia, bringing together health professionals, First Nations leaders, quality improvement experts and those with lived experience to improve pregnancy outcomes for more women across the country. The program’s success has since been confirmed by The Lancet, which reported significant reductions in rates of both preterm (before 37 weeks) and early-term (37 to 39 weeks) births across Australia.

Furthermore, while many people are aware of extremely premature births, fewer realise that babies born even a few weeks early can face increased risks of breathing problems, feeding difficulties, developmental delays and longer-term health challenges.

The Every Week Counts campaign aims to address that gap, helping expectant parents understand that every week truly counts, particularly in the final weeks before full term at 39 weeks.

The national campaign also seeks to increase awareness of the signs and risk factors associated with preterm birth, encourage earlier conversations between pregnant women and their healthcare providers, and improve understanding of conditions such as Sonia’s case with preeclampsia and how they can contribute to babies being born too early.

“If sharing our story helps even one family ask a question earlier, recognise a warning sign, or feel less alone, then it’s worth it — because every baby deserves the best possible start to life.”

Identifying the early warning signs and providing timely interventions are critical to preventing preterm birth and its far-reaching impacts. To learn more about The Every Week Counts National Program, and the strategies being implemented to lower rates of early birth and make pregnancies safer for all women and babies, you can visit the Every Week Counts website.