Labor and Delivery

More babies are born at the Providence Swedish Women's Health Institute than at any other health system in Western Washington – and every birth here is treated like the momentous occasion it is.

Care Designed for Your Comfort and Safety

Your comfort, safety and family matter here. Our labor and delivery units are designed with you in mind:

  • Private delivery rooms with bathtubs
  • Labor support tools and aromatherapy
  • Nitrous oxide for pain management
  • Epidural and anesthesia services available 24/7
  • Lactation consultants
  • Newborn photography
  • Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staffed with board-certified pediatric specialists
  • Physicians specialized in high-risk obstetrics

Your Birth, Your Way

From your first trimester through your last contraction, you'll have an expert team by your side – and your birth team is yours to build.

Pregnant woman receiving support during pregnancy
Partnering with an Obstetrician

Our board-certified OBs work with you through pregnancy, labor and postpartum recovery, and care for high-risk pregnancies or those requiring surgery.

Family with baby meeting with healthcare provider
 Midwifery

Certified nurse midwives offer 30-minute appointments, continuous support through every stage of pregnancy and expert guidance, including consulting with physician partners if complications arise.

Pregnant woman receiving an ultrasound
Maternal Fetal Medicine Physicians

If pregnancy becomes high risk, our maternal fetal medicine (MFM) specialists work alongside your OB or midwife, managing complex conditions, monitoring closely and coordinating your care through delivery.

Hospital staff standing in circle talking
Family Medicine with Obstetrics

Some family medicine physicians offer obstetric care, keeping your pregnancy within your existing care relationship and consulting with OB physicians if complications come up.

Parents and baby meeting with a healthcare provider
Doula Services

A doula aligned with your background, culture, beliefs or preferences provides emotional and physical support from prenatal visits through postpartum care.

TeamBirth

At the Providence Swedish Women’s Health Institute, we believe your voice is a critical part of safe care. TeamBirth is our shared decision-making approach, built on the idea that labor goes better when everyone in the room is informed, connected and working toward the same goal.

At key moments during labor and before any significant decision, your care team pauses for a structured huddle. Your OB or midwife, nurses and support staff check in together, confirm your preferences and make sure everyone feels confident with the approach.

The TeamBirth whiteboard in your room keeps your preferences and care plan visible to everyone on your team, so nothing gets lost between shifts. And you can ask for a huddle at any time, not just when your team initiates one.

Birth brings big feelings: excitement, nervousness and sometimes worry. And many patients arrive with a real fear that their voice won't matter when it counts. Here, your preferences are documented and part of every conversation. Your nurse stays with you through most of your labor as your advocate and your first point of contact.

Every recommendation comes with a clear explanation, and no intervention happens without your consent. You're not just informed – you're included.

You don't need a written birth plan to have your preferences honored, though we welcome those, too. Whether you want to go into labor without medication, limit who's in the room, avoid certain interventions or simply stay informed at every step, tell your team. We'll work to support those preferences safely and keep you in the conversation if anything changes.

Labor and delivery should never feel isolating because of a difference in spoken language. Our teams include multilingual providers and staff, and interpretation services are available for patients who need them.

Our doula program also prioritizes matching patients with doulas who share their language, cultural background or religious beliefs, so every family feels genuinely at home during one of the most personal experiences of their lives. TeamBirth informational flyers are also available in Amharic, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.

Your postpartum care starts before you leave the delivery room. Before discharge, you'll connect with a lactation consultant, receive a postpartum care plan and be connected to any follow-up resources you may need during recovery, including mental health screening, doula services and new parent support programs. Our goal is that you leave with a team, not just a discharge summary.

Find Care That's Close to You

Providers Specializing in Labor and Delivery

At Swedish, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

Female doctor wearing mask, doctors in background

What's It Really Like to Give Birth at Providence Swedish?

Read testimonials from real parents who had their babies at the Providence Swedish Women’s Health Institute.

"My doula [was] always checking on me to make sure I was feeling okay … she was with me every step."

"They understood my needs perfectly. Thank you for giving women of color the courage to speak up."

“Being at Providence Swedish, it felt like we were at home. Everybody was friendly. It just felt like we were well taken care of.”

“I was very happy with how quick and efficient everybody was … it was very peaceful.”

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a complex or high-risk pregnancy, your doctor will connect you with specialized care at a Providence Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics provide additional testing and a higher level of care for you and your baby. Services include:

  • Amniocentesis
  • Genetic counseling
  • Ultrasound interpretation

Our Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists work with your doctor to closely monitor the health of you and your baby throughout your pregnancy and delivery.

If your Maternal-Fetal Medicine team knows your baby will need extra care at birth, your delivery may take place at a nearby Providence hospital with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Our NICUs provide the highest level of specialized care for babies born prematurely or with serious medical conditions.

Bring the following for you and if relevant, for your support person as well:

  • Personal toiletries (toothbrush, comb, etc.)
  • Comfortable clothes to go home in for you and baby
  • Any special snacks
  • Phone charger
  • Name of your pediatrician – you will be asked at check-in

Visitation policies may change during your stay due to current conditions in the hospital. Please note that we have different visitation policies than the main hospital, and policies may also differ between the labor room and the postpartum room. These guidelines are designed to ensure the birthing person, their support person, and their baby have a positive first bonding experience and receive the education and hands-on practice needed during their short time with us. Call us for the latest visitation policy.

At a Safe Sleep Hospital:

  • Your baby will have its own sleep space in your room, but not in your bed
  • Your baby will be placed on its back to sleep
  • Your baby will be swaddled in a blanket securely not a blanket placed over baby
  • Nothing will be placed in the sleep space (objects, toys or blankets)

Additional information is available on the Safe to Sleep website .

Most insurance plans that offer maternity benefits include well-baby care under the mother’s plan for the first 30 days following birth. We recommend contacting your insurance provider directly for more information. If you receive your insurance coverage through your employer, you can also check with your human resources department.