BENDIGO Health's birthing rates continued to climb in 2021 in stark contrast to state and national trends.
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The service had helped bring 1904 babies into the world halfway through New Year's Eve.
That is 20 per cent more babies than in 2018.
State and national birthing rates slowed dramatically through much of 2021.
There were 68,559 Victorian births between January and November, which was 1000 less than in the same period in 2020.
Mothers were choosing to give birth in Bendigo for a number of reasons, Bendigo Health midwifery unit manager Jenny Pitson said.
"There could be a range of factors driving our birthing rate, from COVID to us birthing higher-risk pregnancies from the Loddon Mallee region," she said.
Bendigo Health Board Chair Bob Cameron said the annual number of babies born since 2018 had been steadily rising, until this year's jump.
"Families in the region are choosing to have children, which means more central Victorians. That's a great thing," he said.
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