Giving Birth at BC Women's

 

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About

You may be eligible to give birth at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. The following information provides further eligibility guidelines as well as hospital information.

General admission information

Who is eligible to give birth at BC Women’s Hospital?
  • Patients who identify as Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit or Métis.
  • Patients whose physician or midwife has admitting privileges at BC Women's. If unsure, you can ask your health care provider for more information on whether they can refer to deliver at BC Women's.
  • Patients receiving care through our Maternal Fetal Medicine service 
  • BC Women's Hospital employees and/or their partners  
If you are eligible for care at our hospital, your doctor or midwife will pre-register you before 32 weeks of pregnancy. Only doctors and midwives who deliver babies at BC Women’s Hospital can pre-register patients to have their baby here. Your doctor or midwife can let you know if they deliver at our hospital or not. 

Note: As with all BC maternity hospitals, we adjust patient eligibility each year to meet changing community needs. If you have queries about your eligibility, speak to your primary care provider or referring doctor/nurse practitioner for guidance. 

For those eligible to give birth at BC Women's, visit our Pregnancy and Birthing Care web page for details on finding a maternity care provider. 

If you do not have valid BC health insurance, you will need to plan for payment to PHSA for services received. We will require some documents in advance, which we will request from your maternity care provider. The PHSA Finance Department will conduct arrangements for payment. If you are not eligible for BC health insurance, our office will work together with PHSA Revenue Services to arrange for private pay.  

Find out more on how to apply for medical insurance on the BC government’s website. ​
Appointment details

Admission steps​

1See a doctor or midwife who delivers at BC Women's Hospital

To be admitted to BC Women’s to deliver, patients need to see a doctor or midwife who delivers babies here. Your care provider needs to pre-register you as soon as possible – after 16 weeks and before 32 weeks into your pregnancy. If you do not yet have a doctor or midwife for your pregnancy, visit our Pregnancy and Birthing Care​ page. 

2Complete documentation

Patients must complete the top part of the pre-registration form that a doctor or midwife gives them.

Please ensure that you complete all sections marked with an asterisk (*) to make sure it is processed quickly. Return your completed form to your doctor or midwife as soon as possible. Incomplete forms will lead to delays in pre-registration. 

3Review

Our pre-registration committee reviews all forms once a month to make sure they meet the criteria for being accepted. This review could take up to five weeks to complete.  

4Decision

We will inform your care provider if you are eligible to give birth at BC Women’s. It can take up to five weeks for them to receive this information after you complete your form. You can check if we have accepted you at your prenatal appointment with your care provider. 

If we are unable to accept your pre-registration, we will inform your care provider. They will contact you and help you arrange to have your baby at one of our partner hospitals close to your home.

Coming to the hospital

  • Before coming to the hospital, follow your care providers' instructions.
  • If you are concerned about yourself or your baby, come to the hospital or call 911.
  • Please review our what to bring to hospital checklist (PDF) before arriving at the hospital.
  • When you arrive at BC Women's, enter through the Admitting Entrance, door #97. A nurse will greet you, ask you a few questions about your labour and check you and your baby's condition.
  • Depending on how your labour is progressing at that time: 
    • You may go directly to a birthing room or a single room maternity care room 
    • You may remain in the hospital’s Urgent Care Centre where your health care team will monitor your condition 
    • We may send you home if you are in very early labour and it is better for you to be in your own home as your labour progresses. We will give you clear instructions about when to return to the hospital.  

​Your stay

When you are admitted to one of our labour and delivery units, your nurse will greet you and take you to one of our birthing rooms. Sometimes, your birthing room will convert into your postpartum room. There are also instances where we will transfer you and your baby to a postpartum unit after the birth of your baby.  

Our birthing rooms provide various opportunities for you to labour in different positions and environments. For example, each birthing room has a bathtub or shower. We also have birthing balls, mirrors, metal bars and a birthing bed to help support your labour.  

As an essential part of your health care team, support people are welcome while you are in labour. It is your decision who can visit. Due to space limitations, we prefer to have only one support person and/or doula with you.  

For the protection of all patients, please do not invite visitors who are or might be sick, or who have been in contact with anyone who may be infectious. 

Take a virtual tour

This video tour​ walks you through the process, from registration to after your baby is born, to help you prepare for your visit. 
Additional information & resources

​BrightStart Bundle

The BrightStart Bundle is an optional overnight stay package for after your baby is born. This includes:
  • A private or semi-private room, based on availability
  • Complimentary parking for the duration of your stay
  • Cable TV and phone
Many extended health insurance providers cover private and semi-private accommodation, which means the BrightStart Bundle would come at no cost to you. 
 
When the insurance company reimburses BC Women's, we invest the revenue into programs, equipment and training to ensure we can provide the best possible care for our patients and their families. 

To request the BrightStart bundle:
  • Complete the Request and Responsibility Form​ (PDF)
  • Bring the completed form with you when you are admitted 
  • To note: you do not need to book the BrightStart Bundle in advance 

​Resources

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