What is the Best Montreal Hospital for MY Birth?

Your answer to this question will help identify which particular doctors or group practices you might be interested in following your pregnancy.  Here are a few things to consider when choosing a place of birth, some of them might surprise you...
  • What are the options for non-pharmacological pain relief; hydrotherapy, “laughing gas”, sterile water injections, etc. Whether you plan on having an epidural or not, it is always good to know what other pain relief options are available just in case the epidural is not available to you or, is not as effective as you'd hoped.
  • What facilities are available in the birthing unit; availability of private bathrooms, showers, bathtubs, are all good to know about in advance.
  • Location; distance from your home, how is parking, how easy is it to access “outside” food, etc.
  • Postpartum room set up; private vs semi private, access to private shower. 
  • What type of Doctors have birthing privileges at the Hospital.*
  • Access to a level 3 NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). **
  • Your language of preference. ***

*All Montreal hospitals with birthing units have Ob/Gyns on staff.  Only a select few also have Family Doctors with hospital privileges.
These Montreal area hospitals have Family Doctors on the birthing unit:
  • Saint Mary’s Hospital
  • Jewish General Hospital.
  • Lasalle Hospital
  • Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital
  • Saint Luc Hospital

** A Level 3 NICU has an array of staff and specialized equipment to care for the smallest and sickest newborns 24/7.
These Montreal area hospitals have a level 3 NICU:
  • Ste-Justine Hospital
  • Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital
  • Jewish General Hospital
  • Royal Victoria Hospital (Montreal Children's Hospital).

*** While most of the staff at the hospital birthing units are capable of speaking both English and French (and often many other languages), you are most likely to find staff comfortable in English at:
  • Royal Victoria Hospital
  • Saint Mary’s Hospital
  • Jewish General Hospital.
Laurel Tidman's sunrise view from the Jewish General Hospital, Oct 2013
Next: Montreal Area Hospitals with Birthing Units
Part 4 of Pregnant in Montreal?
​Copyright © 2016 Heather Collins, Birth Doula