Births rise for first time in five years

Australian mums and dads have certainly been a busy bunch.

For the first time in five years there's been an increase in births, according to statistics released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

In 2012, 307,474 women gave birth to 312,153 babies - an increase of 3.4 per cent on the previous year.

The average age of mothers is on the rise, up to 30.1 years compared to 29.5 a decade ago, while the average age of first-time mums was 28.4 years.

Just over 40 per cent of women who gave birth in 2012 had their first child.

The rate of teen births is falling, down to 3.6 per cent compared to 4.6 per cent in 2003.

But the number of women over 35 years old having kids is on the rise and made up 22.4 per cent of births, compared to 18.8 per cent a decade ago.

MUMS AND BUBS IN NUMBERS

* 307,474 women gave birth to 312,153 babies in 2012

* Overall birth rate of women aged 15-44 was 65 per 1000 women

* 42 per cent of women giving birth in 2012 had their first child

* Average age of first-time mums was 28.4 years.

* Average age of mothers was 30.1 years in 2012, up from 29.5 years in 2003

* Teen birth rate was 3.6 per cent

* Perinatal death rate was 9.6 per 1000 births

* 7.2 stillbirths per 1000 births

* 2.4 neonatal deaths per 1000 births (death of live-born infant within first month)

(Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)