Latest news and stories about maternity in Portugal for expats and residents.
Men are increasingly experiencing pregnancy and childbirth more closely. In many maternity wards, they are now even allowed to stay with the mother after the birth.
For the first time the Abrantes unit exceeded the 800-birth mark: there were 823 births in 2025. Foreign mothers account for about one third of the deliveries.
The Guarda Local Health Unit recorded 517 births in 2025, an 8% increase compared with 477 babies in 2024. The rise comes in the same year that the maternity unit at Hospital Sousa Martins moved into new premises.
Almost 2,700 babies were born at Santa Maria over the past year. The institution calls it a 'historic moment'.
Births in the Centro region represent the highest number recorded in Portugal. The chair of the board of directors underlined the urgency of the new maternity hospital, which is intended to replace the two existing units.
