From their first breath, each child born into the world is expected to live for a varying number of years, largely dependent on the country in which they are born. Life expectancy for a baby born in the United States is 81 years for females and 76 years for males...... yet if that child was born in India, she would only be expected to live to 65.5, and he to 62.7 years. On our own shores in Australia, our children are very fortunate to be born with life expectancies of 84.0 and 79.5 years old for females and males respectively. But is country of birth the only factor? Going a little deeper reveals that, although born in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls can only expect to live to 72.9 years and boys 67.2 years, 10 and 12 years less than the national life expectancy. There is no doubt that these facts are related to circumstances in the growth and life of the person, but our focus is on the development of the child before birth. Maternal health matters. How can we close the gap and achieve an equitable start in life for children globally?