But thanks to some swift medical intervention, her son Cooper was not born until Wednesday, when his mum was 33 weeks and three days pregnant.

Cooper was one of six premature babies born at Wagga Base Hospital within the past week.

There have been three boys and three girls, all between 33 weeks and 35 weeks’ gestation.

Ms Fardell said her waters broke not long after she had arrived at work.

“I work at a doctor’s surgery, and they saw what was happening and said ‘go to hospital now’,”she said.

The Coolamon woman drove herself to Wagga Base Hospital and went straight to the maternity unit.

After her condition was stabilised, Ms Fardell was flown to Woden Hospital in the ACT, where she remained on bed rest.

Daughter Penelope, who is nearly three, stayed with relatives at Orange, while husband Sam juggled work with visiting his wife and daughter.

In Woden Hospital, doctors successfully prevented Mrs Fardell going into premature labour.

They also prescribed steroids to help Cooper’s lungs mature and antibiotics for his mum, to help stave off infection.

Once her pregnancy reached 32 weeks, Mrs Fardell was transferred back to Wagga.

At 33 weeks and three days, it was decided that it was time for Cooper to be delivered.

“I was booked in for a Caesarean-section at 5pm, but it had to be brought forward because I actually started having contractions that morning,” she said.

Cooper was born at 1.08pm on Wednesday, weighing in at 2.42 kilos, or 5lb 3oz on the old scale.

He is currently in special care, getting some breathing assistance and some light therapy for jaundice.

Maternity unit manager Colleen Paech said Wagga Base was now equipped to handle the premature births of babies from 32 weeks gestation.

In the past, she said, babies 34 weeks and older could be born there, but would then have to be transferred to either Canberra or Sydney, depending on medical need.

“It is much better for women to be able to stay closer to home, where they have their support network around them,” Ms Paech said.