BC Women’s Hospital

BC Women’s Hospital is the largest tertiary care hospital in Canada to have the WHO Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative designation. Over 7,000 babies are born here each year.

It is a UBC-affiliated teaching hospital, and OB residents and medical students are active participants in the health care team.

In order to receive prenatal care from of our OBs and be registered for delivery at BC Women’s, women must live in Vancouver proper and be able to provide proof of residence.

Exceptions to this rule include patients who have previously delivered at BC Women’s, patients whose pregnancies are high-risk and require tertiary-level maternity care, and those who are existing gynecologic patients of ours.

Location

BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre is located on Oak Street, between 28th Ave and 32nd Ave. It is a good idea to review the site map and do a drive through around the campus at some point during the pregnancy.

PRENATAL TOURS

Physical tours are not currently being offered, but this video provides an excellent overview of what to expect when giving birth at BC Women’s.

LABOUR, PLANNED C-SECTIONS, AND EMERGENCIES IN PREGNANCY

Urgent Care Centre (UCC) - Entrance #97
Admissions for women in labour, undergoing induction of labour, and with planned C-sections are through the Urgent Care Centre (UCC). This is also the place for women to be assessed for any obstetrical emergencies arising during their pregnancy.

Single Room Maternity (SRMC)
Women with low-risk pregnancies will typically deliver in the newly-renovated Single Room Maternity Care (SRMC) unit, which is also known as Cedar/Holly. It comprises of 27 rooms and is located in the old portion of the hospital. The labour, delivery, and postpartum stay are all in the same room. Amenities include a new family lounge, private bathrooms, beds for support persons to sleep on, and decor to create a modern, comfortable, "home-like" feel in the rooms. Women who are transferred to the Operating Room (OR) for delivery (eg. forceps or C-section) typically do not return to SRMC after delivery; they are transferred to a postpartum unit.

Teck Acute Care Centre (TACC)
Women with higher-risk pregnancies usually deliver on the labour and delivery unit (LDR) in the new BC Children’s Hospital Teck Acute Care Centre (TACC), which is connected to the old hospital by a walkway on the second floor. It is directly adjacent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). On occasion, women with low-risk pregnancies may deliver there when there is no availability on SRMC. The ORs are also located in TACC, and planned C-sections take place there as well.

Antepartum and Postpartum Units
Women who deliver in TACC will be transferred to a postpartum unit (Arbutus or Dogwood) after their delivery. Most postpartum rooms are private, but each unit has a few semi-private rooms. The Evergreen antepartum unit is where women stay when they need to be admitted to hospital during the pregnancy.

Women who desire preferred accommodation can sign up for the Bright Start Bundle during the pregnancy, or at the time of admission.

ELECTIVE PROCEDURES AND APPOINTMENTS

Women attending the hospital for ultrasound, amniocentesis or fetal assessment (also known as a non-stress test or NST), or for appointments at one of the ambulatory clinics (eg. diabetes, MFM, internal medicine), use the Main Entrance (#93).