General News
20 January, 2026
Town’s first baby born for 2026
Maryborough District Health Service (MDHS) welcomed the arrival of Cole Ross on Friday, January 2 making him the first baby born at the hospital for 2026.
Since proud parents Aimee and Jack Ross welcomed new baby Cole to their family earlier this month, the pair have since praised MDHS for the care received from numerous departments during the time spent at the hospital.
“We had the most incredible experience at MDHS the whole way through. The entire process was really easy and every single staff member, from midwives and theatre staff, to inpatient unit nurses and kitchen staff, were fantastic and made such a positive difference to our experience,” Ms Ross said.
“Jack is a casual nurse at MDHS and a Maryborough paramedic, and he was incredibly proud to be a staff member, especially given how well we were treated.”
This milestone comes less than a year since the $115 million expansion of MDHS officially opened, with new facilties that include two new birthing rooms and an extention of the hospital’s Midwifery Group Practice (MGP), a service nationally recognised for the care they offer the community from preconception to early parenting.
These additional services were a long anticipated move, with the hope of attracting more women to start a family in Maryborough and ensure they are connected to midwives and support services while living in regional areas.
Following the family’s return home, Ms Ross said midwives were regularly present as their baby settled into family life, a major component of the MGP model of care, supporting families for up to six weeks post-birth.
“We would highly recommend everyone in Maryborough and surrounds utilise such a great facility and choose to birth at MDHS,” she said.
MDHS is advising those who wish to start their family in Maryborough, that the hospital offers various free childbirth education sessions throughout the year.
These sessions provide information on pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, and an opportunity to meet the midwifery team and a chance to visit the birth rooms.
This year’s childbirth sessions at MDHS are as follows:
• Saturday, March 7
• Saturday, April 11
• Saturday, May 9
• Saturday, June 13
• Saturday, July 11
• Saturday, August 8
Less than a month into 2026, MDHS have welcomed many more babies since Cole was born.
The hospital is therefore encouraging passionate midwives to join their MGP team by visiting bit.ly/mdhscareers to learn more.