While the smokey haze of the bushfires has subsided, a study into the effects on pregnant women during that time is more important than ever, according to the health researcher.
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Murrumbidgee Local Health District research manager Dr Barbara Taylor is hoping the Australian National University-led Mother and Child 2020 study will provide answers as to what impacts the smoke had on mothers and their babies locally.
"We are recruiting across the southern half of NSW - there are about 14,000 births per annum across that footprint," she said. "We are aiming to have about 3000 women in the study. One of the main points is that they don't have to have smelt smoke, or been exposed to smoke, to join the study."
Dr Taylor liaises with the ANU medical school which initially thought of the idea while the summer fires were still burning.
"I was originally contacted by Professor Christopher Nolan from ANU and he called me in January when the bushfires were still going," Dr Taylor said.
"A group of researchers were getting together and to understand the impact of bushfire smoke on pregnant women and their babies."
To be involved in the study women need to have had a baby since November 1, 2019 or be due before New Year's Eve 2020.
"We want to have lots of women from this district to sign up to the study - it is very easy to do it online," Dr Taylor said.
"And we want to collect information about their health and their children's health for the next few years to see what actually develops and if necessary to work out interventions to avoid problems in the future or to treat any problems that arrive."
Dr Taylor also said they will look at the impact the pandemic has had on pregnancies as well.
"While we were developing the study the pandemic came along," she said.
"That has been relevant particularly to mothers and babies and pregnant women because they may not have been able to access the health services easily if they would normally be able to access.
"Both of these events, the bushfires and the pandemic, are also adding a whole lot of stress and anxiety to the mix during those pregnancies.
"As if you aren't stressed enough about how well your baby is going to be and you are doing the right thing, we had bushfires and COVID-19 added to it.
"We thought if we wanted to find out what was important to our community we had to do the research ourselves- so we are."
