Hospital Admission for Labor and Delivery Process

This post will help you understand the check-in process for hospital admission for labor and delivery from my experience at Burnaby Hospital in British Columbia, Canada. You will also find helpful information on all of the available lower mainland hospitals that has a maternity ward.

Knowing what to expect and what to prepare in advance will take out the stress and the frustration during this difficult time of labor and delivery.

I was wheeled into the maternity ward, shaking from the contraction pain that I have never experienced before as a first-time mom. By the time you are going to the hospital, you are most likely a few minutes apart between each contraction.

You will NOT have time to think, or to direct your partner, on what to do. You will be focused on breathing and counting down to the next contraction. Your partner will likely be feeling helpless and frozen from seeing you in so much pain.

Each hospital will provide their own resources and checklists, so I’d recommend you to review these directly from their website to know what you might need. Every hospital is different. You can also call the maternity ward in advance to find out more.

Check out my post here on the ultimate guide to packing your hospital bags. If you’re still early in your pregnancy, I’d recommend you review my post on to do list before baby arrives organized in trimesters.

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Before going to the hospital

• Contact your midwife or OBGYN/family doctor before you start heading to the hospital. They will contact the hospital on your behalf and let you know IF the hospital has any divergence due to overflow of patients, or if you are able to head over.
• Check what time it is so you know which area of the hospital to go in from: patient registration OR emergency admitting.
• Optional: contact anyone who will be coming over to take care of your older child or pets if applicable
• Ensure you have the documents needed for hospital delivery (covered below),
• Grab your hospital bag(s) – see my post on “Packing your hospital bag items: the ultimate hospital birth checklist”.

Scheduled C-Section Moms

If you have a scheduled c-section, your procedure will be a bit different. Likely you will be booked in between 38-39 weeks of pregnancy so you have a lower chance of going into labor spontaneously.

• 2 weeks prior to the surgery date (or earlier), your OB office will give you a call to confirm the surgery date, time, and location. They should provide you with a run-down of how to prepare for surgery, what to expect, and provide you with a document from the hospital for patients preparing for surgery. You should confirm the process of admission, if they are unable to answer, wait for the call from the hospital nurse.
  • For my scheduled c-section, I was told not to eat solids after midnight before the surgery, and only clear liquids until 4 hours prior to surgery. No jewelry, makeup, nail polish.
• 1 week before your scheduled c-section, the nurse at the hospital should give you a call to let you know which days to schedule your bloodwork to be done for the surgery. This is usually 1-2 days prior to the surgery date.
• 5 days prior to the surgery date, you will get a call from the nurse to book a consultation with the anesthesiologist to review the anesthesia options and go over any concerns you may have. You can also update the doctor on any health conditions or medications you are taking at this time.
• Note that most scheduled c-sections are scheduled early in the morning (surgery at 7:30am with arrival 2 hours ahead). You will likely go through admissions through the emergency ward, and go to the pre-admission clinic/optimization clinic to process your admission papers and book your recovery room (private/semi-private/shared).
• I was told not to bring my hospital bags with me and have my husband bring it in from the car after the surgery.

Hospital Maternity Units in Lower Mainland, B.C.

Direct links to Fraser Health page that provides information on the location, admission, parking rates, and other resources

Location	Address	City
Abbotsford Regional Hopistal and Cancer Centre	32900 Marshall Road	Abbotsford
Burnaby Hospital	3935 Kincaid Street	Burnaby
Chilliwack General Hospital	45600 Menholm Road	Chilliwack
Langley Memorial Hospital	22051 Fraser Highway	Langley
Ridge Meadows Hospital	11666 Laity Street	Maple Ridge
Royal Columbian Hospital	330 East Columbia Street	New Westminster
Surrey Memorial Hospital	13750 96th Avenue	Surrey
Peach Arch Hospital	15521 Russell Avenue	White Rock

Other Hospitals not part of Fraser Health:

Location	Additional Information	Address	City
B.C. Women’s Hospital	Labour & Birth Visiting the Hospital	4500 Oak St	Vancouver
Lion’s Gate	About	231 E. 15th St.	North Vancouver
St. Paul’s	More Information	1081 Burrard Street	Vancouver

Upon arrival at the hospital

• Secure parking closest to the door, get partner to pay for parking. I would recommend doing a test round a month before your due date, so your partner knows where to park and scout the area.
• Get your partner to grab a wheelchair if available and wheel you into the hospital for check-in.
• Head straight to the check-in desk and provide the documents requested (see below). I organized these necessary documents in a single folder with labeled tabs or a zipper file bag so information can be easily found even under a stressful situation.
• If you have not already, Register online with Best Beginnings Public Health Program for moms in B.C. This is a program organized by Fraser Health. It’ll make your registration at the hospital easier and you can sign up for additional information during your pregnancy and beyond.

Overview of the documents needed for hospital delivery (in a zip up folder with labeled tabs)

1. You and your partner’s government issued PHOTO ID – Driver’s license or passport.
2. Payment (parking and snacks) – Credit card.
3. Your Birth Plan – See my post on “Writing a Birth Plan” to get you started.
4. One-pager of important information – the most important document outlined below.

One-pager of important information

The single document that saved my sanity during the hospital check-in, and throughout postpartum was this super important one-pager that contains ALL of your most crucial information.

You can use think of this document as a confidential reference guide to be provide necessary information at the sign-in desk when you get into the hospital. You should have only one copy of this document printed, and another electronic copy handy on your partner’s phone and your phone. This is because the information contained on this document is highly sensitive and private, and it is crucial no one else keeps it. You will also refer to this document frequently in postpartum when you are sleep-deprived filling out forms, completing any HR forms for work, or your extended benefits from your employer.

**Check out this important personal information and contact information Google Sheet.**

Once you have organized all of your documents and information in this easy-to-find way, you want to KEEP it organized afterwards. I got this baby file keeper to keep all of my hospital keepsakes, the important documents and information the hospital provided me, and medical information all in one place. This will help you find these documents easier later, and it won’t be mixed in with your other important documents.

This post was all about the hospital admission for labor and delivery process in the lower mainland, B.C., Canada. If you are not within the lower mainland and is delivery outside of this region, your experience may not be the same.

You can contact your midwife or doctor, as well as your hospital, to get more clarity around this process. I would highly recommend you and your partner to do a test round at least one month in advance (in case of premature delivery) and know the basic layout of the hospital and the parking situation.

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