Chantelle Maher has just given birth to her second child, Ardie, who is one of more than 140 children born at Bendigo Health this month in an extended baby boom that is putting pressure on early childhood services.
"I think I have about seven friends who were pregnant, or having a baby, around the same time as me," Ms Maher said.
"It's like everyone you speak to is pregnant or has just had a newborn."
Bendigo mum Tess Casey has one child in daycare and three in school.
Her youngest son, Ollie, is 17 months of age.
When Ms Casey tried to enrol Ollie at the local centre where her other three children had gone previously, she was surprised to find she could not get him in.
"There was a waiting list, and it was extremely busy," Ms Casey said
With her three other children, she had not encountered waiting lists.
"Childcare centres wanted to give you tours. They wanted to entice you to come to their centre," she said.
Since the pandemic, however, some centres have filled up and some said this was due to a pandemic baby boom.
Bendigo Health said it had a record number of births in May this year, with 185 babies delivered.
In May last year, 148 babies were born at the hospital.
Growing need for more childcare
Country Buddies Childcare Centre director Jeanette Greer said — for the first time ever — her Epsom centre had a waiting list for enrolments.
"It's the busiest it's ever been," Ms Greer said.
She said families were enquiring every day, some booking their children in as far ahead as six months.
"Pregnant mums are coming in to put their unborn babies on a waiting list, six months before giving birth."
Early Childhood Australia CEO Samantha Page said there was already a shortage of early childhood services in the regions before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Page said there was a desperate need for more trained staff in the sector, particularly in rural areas.
"We do have a shortage of early childhood educators," Ms Page said. "We want more people to consider early childhood as a career."
