Evelyn Burns has been a midwife at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne for years, but something changed when she started working with the Baggarrook Yurrongi program. Now she gets to stay with the same families from pregnancy through those first challenging weeks at home. "I get to walk alongside women and their families during one of the most important times in their lives," Burns said. "You can see the difference when care feels culturally safe—women are more confident, more connected and more supported every step of the way."
That approach—having a trusted, known midwife who understands Indigenous culture—is now producing remarkable results across Victoria, Australia. A major new study published in The Lancet journal eClinical Medicine found that First Nations babies are significantly healthier when their mothers receive this kind of culturally tailored care.
The research looked at more than 164,000 births, including outcomes for over 2,000 First Nations babies, at three Melbourne hospitals: the Royal Women's Hospital, Mercy Hospital for Women, and Joan Kirner Women's and Children's at Sunshine Hospital. It compared what happened before the program launched (2012–2017) with what happened after (2017–2022). The results were striking: babies were 45% more likely to be born healthy, 33% less likely to arrive with low birth weight, and 36% less likely to be born prematurely. They were also 30% less likely to need intensive care, and mothers were 86% more likely to start breastfeeding.
More than 64% of eligible First Nations women took part in the program during the study period, and the uptake was remarkably high. At the Mercy Hospital, the program runs under the name Nangnak Baban Murrup and has already served over 700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women since 2018. At Sunshine Hospital, the Galinjera program now has six midwives caring for about 151 First Nations families each year.
Natalie Roberg, who manages the program at Mercy, said building trust is key—especially for women who have had negative experiences with healthcare systems in the past. "Having a known midwife throughout pregnancy creates an opportunity to build trust over time, rather than having to start from the beginning at every appointment," she said.
Lead researcher Professor Della Forster, from La Trobe University and the Royal Women's Hospital, said the findings prove that this kind of personalized, culturally informed care can genuinely close the gap in birth outcomes for First Nations families. "The study highlights that when women are cared for by a known midwife who provides culturally informed care built around the needs of First Nations families, we see real improvements in short- and long-term outcomes for mothers and babies," she said.
The program was developed together with First Nations health units and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization. Its success suggests that when healthcare systems take the time to understand and respect cultural needs, everyone benefits.