Birthing & Mothering Support

Birth Centre

Birth Centre

603 St. Mary’s Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R2M 3L8

For more information about programs & services at the Birth Centre, please see the Frequently Asked Questions section below or contact us:

Phone: 204-947-2422 ext 300
Toll-free: 1-866-947-1517

You can follow the construction of the Birth Centre through this link to our Flickr photo album. 

WHC welcomes the first baby born at the Birth Centre!

December 12, 2011: Women's Health Clinic is extremely pleased to announce the arrival of Jack Stephen Chilufya, the first baby born at the Birth Centre.

In the care of their mdwives, proud parents Sara Heinrichs and Anthony Chilufya welcomed Jack into the world at 7:03 pm on Saturday, December 10th, 2011. Our congratulations to all!


Frequently Asked Questions about the Birth Centre

What services does the Birth Centre offer?

The Birth Centre offers women and their families a range of primary maternity services. These include:

  • prenatal, pregnancy and postpartum care
  • counselling services
  • health education programs on parenting and newborn care

What are the features of the Birth Centre?                                                                                                                                                  

The Birth Centre offers women a comfortable, home-like setting to give birth. There are four large birthing rooms. Each has a large shower and tub, a double bed, and comfortable chairs for those who support the woman through the birth.

The Birth Centre also has a lounge with a kitchen where a woman’s family and support people can wait and rest.

Clinical facilities and meeting spaces are also available at the Birth Centre.                                                                                        

Who provides services at the Birth Centre?

The primary care providers are midwives registered with the College of Midwives of Manitoba and employed by the Winnipeg Health Region. There are four midwive positions permanently located at the Birth Centre. However, any midwife employed by the Winnipeg Health Region can provide clinical and birthing services to her clients at the Birth Centre. There are no doctors at the birth centre.

Birth Centre support staff includes medical assistants, health educators, counsellors and administrative staff.

How can I give birth at the Birth Centre?

Women who want to birth at the Birth Centre must be in the primary care of  a WRHA midwife. They also must be healthy and having a normal and uncomplicated pregnancy. They will be assessed to be sure that they meet the standards set by the College of Midwives of Manitoba for a safe out-of-hospital birth.

Please click on the link for more information on how to get a WRHA midwife.

Please click on the link to see the College of Midwives Standard for Planned Out of Hospital Birth. 

What is the Birth Centre's plan for emergencies?

Each birth room has the supplies and equipment needed to manage a normal birth, including non-urgent complications. In an emergency, the mother and baby will be transferred to the most appropriate hospital. The Birth Centre has a special entrance that allows easy access if emergency vehicles are needed.

How can I get a job at the Birth Centre?

All Birth Centre staff positions are currently filled.

All midwives working at the Birth Centre are employees of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). Midwives interested in a position at the Birth Centre should search the Winnipeg Health Region careers website for employment opportunities.

All other Birth Centre staff are employees of Women’s Health Clinic (WHC). When staff positions are available, we post job ads on the careers & volunteers page of the WHC website and in Saturday editions of the Winnipeg Free Press.

How can I volunteer at the Birth Centre?

There are currently no volunteer positions at the Birth Centre. When we develop volunteer positions, we will recruit volunteers through the careers & volunteers page of the WHC website.

For more information on the Birth Centre

For more information on the Birth Centre, please see:

Birth Centre fact sheet - English [PDF 167 KB]

Birth Centre fact sheet - French [PDF 169 KB]

Principles of Service for the Birth Centre [PDF 164 KB].

For more information on the development of the Birth Centre, please see:

Birth Centre original proposal [PDF 1.18 MB]

Please click the link to see construction photos of the  Birth Centre  on Flickr.

Midwifery Services

Midwifery

Women’s Health Clinic is just one of the community health clinics in Winnipeg that offers midwifery services to pregnant women. 

For more information about midwifery services at Women’s Health Clinic, please call 204-947-2422, ext. 515

For more information about midwifery services in Winnipeg, please call:

  • Birth Centre - 204-947-2422, ext. 307
  • Health Action Centre - 204-940-3843
  • Mount Carmel Clinic - 204-589-9412
  • River East Midwifery - 204-938-5054

Please click the following link for a listing of practice locations for Manitoba midwives or call the College of Midwives of Manitoba at 204-783-4520.

What are midwives?

Midwives are health care professionals trained to provide prenatal, labour and birth, and postpartum care. All practicing midwives must be registered with the College of Midwives of Manitoba. Midwives respect and support each woman’s right to make choices about her care, caregiver and place of birth.

Midwives offer the following care:

During pregnancy:

  • Comprehensive prenatal care at home or in clinic
  • All necessary prenatal testing (examples: blood work, ultrasound)

During birth:

  • Choice of hospital or home birth
  • Care and support during labour and delivery

After the baby is born:

  • Breastfeeding support
  • Care for mother and baby through home or clinic visits for 6 weeks after the birth
  • Early parenting education

Other services midwives can provide:

  • Prescribe and administer certain drugs
  • Order certain tests
  • Admit to hospital
  • Consults with doctors and other health care professionals when needed
  • Discuss and may provide complementary therapies related to pregnancy, birth and postpartum care

For more information on midwifery practices, please see the College of Midwives of Manitoba standards of practice online.

Mothering Support

Having a baby, whether by birth or adoption, changes your life. Our Mothers Program offers a range of community-based services in Winnipeg to support mothers through these changes.

For more information on any of the following services, please call the intake worker at 204-947-2422, ext. 113.

Families Connecting Support Groups

NOTE:  Our Families Connecting support groups will be closed at all sites for 2 weeks from July 25th through to August 7th.  Regular services will resume the week of August 8th.

Families Connecting is a Healthy Baby Community Support Program designed to assist soon-to-be and new parents to connect with health service providers and other parents with children in their communities.

The drop-in setting is informal and relaxing and allows parents to share experiences and learn together.  All speakers, topics and activities are planned from suggestions by the parents who attend the group. 

Each site offers:

  • Outreach support
  • Public health nurse
  • Dietitian
  • Healthy snacks
  • Bus tickets
  • Milk coupons (for women who are pregnant & up to 6 months postpartum)
  • Free child-care while you attend the group

Activities include:

  • Speakers
  • Cooking
  • Child development
  • Parenting programs and more

Families Connecting meets:

  • Mondays                    10:00 am  - 12:00 noon           395 Jefferson Ave. (Seven Oaks)
  • Tuesdays                    1:00 pm  -    3:00 pm                209 Yale Avenue W. (Transcona)
  • Tuesdays                    9:45 am  -  11:45 am              725 Kylemore Ave. (South Osborne)   
  • Wednesdays              9:30 am  -  11:30 am              109 Pulford St. (Osborne Village)
  • Wednesdays              5:00 pm  -    7:00 pm                 975 Henderson  (River East)            
  • Fridays                        9:30 am  -  11:30 am               257 Riverton Ave. (Elmwood)

Please note: Groups do not meet on public holidays.

For more information on Healthy Baby Prenatal Benefit and Community Support Programming, please click on the following link: Manitoba Healthy Baby Programs

Sherpa Mothers Program

A peer support program that offers women who are pregnant and/or have children under the age of one an opportunity to be matched with a trained volunteer for guidance and support through the changes mothering brings.

You can expect the practical assistance and resource information of an experienced parent. Volunteers are trained in peer support work and have passed a Criminal Record and Child Abuse Registry check.

Coping with Change Postnatal Education Workshops

Women’s Health Clinic developed Coping with Change Postnatal Education Workshops for parents in the community and the service providers who work with them to build knowledge and support about the emotional changes parenting brings to our lives.

Coping with Change for community groups

You’ve attended prenatal classes or pre-adoption workshops and now baby is home. What’s next?

Coping with Change workshops are designed to help you understand the everyday changes you might experience when introducing a baby into your life.

Coping with Change is a 5-part workshop that is also offered as individual education sessions to community groups of parents. Some topic themes are:

  • Meeting baby
  • Emotional adjustments
  • Relationship changes
  • Networking

Coping with Change for service providers

Professional development seminars designed to provide health and social service providers with knowledge and skills to help normalize a woman’s experience after giving birth or adopting a baby.