But the lack of cots in the six-bed ward of the special-care nursery at Casey Hospital in Berwick, the closest hospital to the Maxwells' home, forced the transfer of his mother to the Mercy Hospital, where he was born.

First-time mother Kellie said they weren't expecting Hudson until July 30.

As her son is not yet able to suckle, Mrs Maxwell has to express milk for Hudson to be fed intravenously.

She travels daily to the hospital to deliver milk and spend a couple of hours by Hudson's side.

"He's tiny, but he's going well. He'll start to feed when he reaches 36 weeks."

Her husband Darren also visits each day after work.

The tiny baby weighed only 1556grams at birth and was 44centimetres long.

"Hudson is half the size of a full-term baby," said Monash Children's medical director Professor Nick Freezer.

Dr Freezer said babies needing special care like Hudson would no longer be turned away from Casey Hospital soon, thanks to a wing expansion which will triple the number of cots.

Dr Freezer joined state Health Minister Daniel Andrews and local MPs Judith Graley, Tammy Lobato and Luke Donnellan when they inspected progress on the $4.2 million expansion of Casey Hospital's special-care wing.

Professor Freezer said the expansion would reduce the need to transfer newborn babies requiring extra care to other hospital sites.

"It will allow mothers and babies to stay together.

"The expansion of the special-care nursery will add significantly to the care we can offer at Casey."

Southern Health Acting Chief Executive Siva Sivarajah, who led the group on the site, said the project would mean 14 additional special-care nursery cots, bringing the total to 20.

"This expansion will go a long way to meet the growing demand on maternity services in the Casey-Cardinia growth corridor, accommodating up to 1000 extra births each year."

The expansion will also make way for consulting suites with areas for health promotion, education, and advocacy for families of seriously ill babies.

Mr Andrews said

the project had created 31 jobs during the design and construction phase.