Everything You Need to Know About Ottawa Hospitals
You have purchased all the baby gear, hired your doula and read all the books! But what about the logistics around the hospital you are having your baby at? Where do you park? What amenities are in the birthing units, where can you buy food at 3am? Those details might not seem important when you are early in your pregnancy, but they can feel very urgent when your due date is just days away.
So let’s take a look at each birthing hospital in Ottawa and what you need to know about each.
Montfort Hospital:
Montfort is Ontario's Francophone academic hospital, providing services in both French and English. They provide both OBGYN and Midwifery Care and you can find a list of providers here
Located on the 2nd floor of the hospital - accessible by stairs or elevator
Parking is located on the east side of the hospitals main doors
The main doors are locked during the night and you will need to buzz in
They have 17 birthing rooms that were newly renovated as of 2010
L&D is locked and you will need to be buzzed in and out
Digital ordering system for meals for patients (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
All birthing rooms have large tubs to labour in
Large spacious rooms, with ample space for extra support people
Birthing Supplies include use of birthing balls, peanut balls, squatting bar
Postpartum Unit includes both private and semi private rooms - The semi private
rooms are some of the largest out of the Ottawa Hospitals
You have access to a small kitchenette in the unit floor with a fridge, microwave,
freezer and ice/water dispenser
There is a Starbucks located on the main floor with only daytime hours
Cafeteria is on the main floor and open Monday -Friday until 4pm
The Montfort Hospital's Postnatal Care-at-Home (MPCH) program offers early
discharge (6–24 hours post-birth) for low-risk families, providing 2–3 home visits from midwives during the first week postpartum. This initiative, available to those under an OB/GYN or family doctor, includes 24/7 telephone support to assist with recovery and breastfeeding.
Ottawa Hospital - General Campus
The General Campus is part of one of Canada’s leading teaching hospitals and serves thousands of families each year. The General Campus is also known for handling high-risk pregnancies and complex births, because of this, Midwives do not have privileges at this hospital. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the General Campus contains Level II and Level III beds, allowing healthcare providers to care for critically ill or premature babies.
Labour and Delivery is located on the 8th floor
There are multiple covered parking options available at the General including at
CHEO
There are 13 birthing rooms, some with bath tubs for labouring
Rooms vary in size
Birthing Supplies include use of birthing balls, peanut balls, squatting bar
Postpartum Unit includes both private and semi private rooms
You have access to a small kitchenette in the unit floor with a fridge, microwave,
freezer and ice/water dispenser
Cafeteria is located on main floor and is open until 6:30pm Monday through
Friday
Tim Hortons (located in the critical care wing lobby) open 24/7
Second Cup located on Main floor inside Main doors open daily until 10pm
There is a 24-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the General Campus cares for
extremely premature infants
Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus
The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus has a well-established maternity and birthing program, delivering roughly 4,000–4,200 babies each year. It is also one of the oldest Ottawa Hospitals, opening its doors in the 1920’s. They are currently building a new hospital across the street and because of this The Civic remains one of the less pleasingly aesthetic hospitals. The new Hospital is expected to be opened in 2028.
Labour and Delivery is located on the 4th floor
Options for care include OBGYN, Midwifery Care and Family Doctors
There are three parking lots at the Civic - off Ruskin Street, covered parking
garage and an Emergency Room Parking lot. Important to note that parking is very hard to find after 9am Monday - Friday. There are some 2 hour street parking options in the surrounding residential areas.
There are 13 birthing rooms of varying sizes
Bathtubs are no longer usable but patients can use the shower during labour
Birthing Supplies include use of birthing balls, peanut balls, squatting bar
Postpartum Unit includes both private and semi private rooms - unfortunately the
semi private rooms are some of the smallest of the Ottawa Hospitals
Where an ensuite is not available in the postpartum rooms, patients use shared
but private, lockable shower rooms down the hall
You have access to a small kitchenette in the unit floor with a fridge, microwave, freezer and ice/water dispenser
Cafeteria is open until 6pm Monday through Friday
Second Cup is located on the main floor as well as a little convenience store
Tim Hortons is on the main floor right inside the main doors. You should note that
it is advertised to be open 24/7 but typically closes between 1am-3am.
The Civic Campus has a Level II NICU (Special Care Nursery) with
approximately 19 beds and is often described as a “step down” or intermediate neonatal unit
Queensway Carleton Hospital
The Childbirth Program has been part of Queensway Carleton Hospital since 1999 and welcomes close to 2,500 babies into the world every year.
Services include outpatient clinics for care before and after your baby is born, the Birth Unit, a Special Care Nursery, and the Mother and Baby Unit.Labour and Delivery is located on the main floor - after 11pm the main doors are locked and you will need to enter through the emergency department
Options for care include OBGYN, Midwifery Care and Family Doctors
The birthing unit is also locked and you will need to be buzzed in
There is one large open area parking lot
There are 8 birthing rooms equipped with ensuite bathrooms with large bathtubs
for labouring
Postpartum Unit includes both private and semi private rooms
Birthing Supplies include use of birthing balls, peanut balls, squatting bar
The cafeteria is open from 7am-1:30pm serving breakfast and lunch
Tim Hortons is located on the Main Floor and is open until 10pm
You have access to a small kitchenette in the unit floor with a fridge, microwave,
freezer and ice/water dispenser
Queensway Carleton Hospital has a Level II Special Care Nursery (SCN)
However, it is not a full Level III NICU like the one at The Ottawa Hospital General Campus.
Giving birth doesn’t have to feel like a super secret spy mission. By putting together all this information, we hope that families in Ottawa will feel confident about what their hospital provides and what they might need to bring with them. Things can change though, so if you are reading this years down the road, make sure you double check with your birth location!