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Welcoming a baby into the world is one of life’s greatest experiences – one that should fill your heart with joy. Let us be your partner during the months leading up to your delivery day, ensuring you approach your pregnancy with both happy anticipation and confidence.

Providence’s experts work with you. We dig deep into your preferences and concerns and help you discover the most up-to-date options that are best for your situation. We listen to you and help you make informed choices. It’s a pregnancy journey that addresses your head and heart – and that makes a lot of sense at this special time.

Our Approach

Let’s Plan Together

When you choose an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) to be your partner through pregnancy and delivery, we’ll help you create a birth plan that fits your preferences. We respect and honor your plan–understanding that preferences and safety concerns can change throughout your pregnancy and right up to delivery day.

Developing a birth plan is easier with an OB-GYN who listens to you, understands you, and shares in your decision-making. Need help finding an OB to fit your personality and preferences? Take this list of questions with you to your first appointment to help you find an OB-GYN partner who’s right for you.

Download your guide

A Modern Labor and Delivery Approach

When you go into labor, you can expect the same level of supportive, compassionate, and safe care you’ve received throughout your pregnancy. We’ll respect your birth plan, and you’ll be able to choose when and if pain medication will be used. Your labor and delivery experience will be based on your preferences and what is safest for you and your baby at the time of delivery.

Most babies can be born with very little medical help, and that’s good news because when we minimize surgical intervention, we help ensure a safer delivery. We’ll monitor your health and the health of your baby during the labor and birthing process. Unless necessary, we’ll work with you to avoid common interventions like inducing labor or episiotomy to help prevent dangerous complications that can delay healing.

Lower Risk. Higher Confidence: Having a Baby the Providence Way

At the same time, we know every birth is different, as is every new mom. If you choose an epidural for pain relief–even if you change your mind from your birth plan–we will honor your request when it’s safe to do. You are in charge of your birth experience, and that means easing your discomfort.

Did you know that women are three times more likely to experience complications during cesarean delivery? For your safety, our OB-GYNs encourage vaginal birth even if you’ve had a previous C-section, when possible. However, there are times when a cesarean delivery may be medically necessary, and our experts will help ensure both you and your baby are safe and comfortable.

Let’s Start this Journey Together

If you’re ready for an outstanding pregnancy experience, start by choosing an OB-GYN who will be a good fit for you and will prioritize your safety. It’s so important to find someone who listens to you, doesn't pressure you, and gets you–both your head and your heart.

It’s your pregnancy. Let Providence be your partner.

Birth Experience and Services

Bringing a child into the world will change your life in wonderful and unforgettable ways. At Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka’s Childbirth Center, we offer family-centered maternity care that’s designed to focus on your needs and your baby’s. Our supportive nursing staff is specially trained to care for you and your family with skill and compassion during your entire stay.

Your baby deserves the best possible start to life. You deserve a labor and delivery that reflects your preferences. That’s why we’ve designed holistic services to make the birth of your baby as safe and comfortable as possible, in an environment that works for you.

You’ll be surrounded by calming aromatherapy and music and bathed in soothing lighting. Your doula can be with you throughout your laboring process, if you wish.

Our childbirth team will support you through delivery, offering a variety of pain control methods to suit your preferences:

Birthing balls
Nitrous oxide
Patient-controlled epidural (you choose when you need an extra dose of pain relief)
Walking
Water immersion

The golden hour

The first hour after birth is a special time for you and your family to bond with baby. Immediately after your baby is born, he/she is dried off and placed skin-to-skin on your bare chest. As long as the baby is healthy, the two of you will remain undisturbed. Bathing and weighing will be delayed for the first hour, giving you and your family the chance to cherish this special time together. This remarkable bonding experience can greatly improve a baby’s growth and development.

TOLAC and VBAC services

We’re recognized by the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative for our work to reduce the number of unnecessary cesarean sections. Our trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) services contribute to these efforts.

TOLAC is a planned attempt to labor after you’ve previously had a cesarean delivery but now desire a vaginal delivery. VBAC is a successful trial of labor that results in a vaginal birth.

TOLAC and VBAC come with risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor about these during your prenatal care to help you make the best choice for you and your baby.

Your Care Team

You’ll find a range of specialists focused on making your pregnancy, labor and delivery as easy for you as possible as you prepare for your little one. Our team includes:

Certified nurse-midwives
Experienced obstetricians
Registered nurses
RN certified lactation consultants

Breastfeeding Support

After the birth of your child, you’ll receive expert support from our registered nurse lactation consultants, certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Our consultants will provide:

Breastfeeding consultations
Follow-up phone check-ins
Outpatient visits after you leave the hospital to help you with any breastfeeding difficulties

You may also want to participate in our breastfeeding support groups, now available on Zoom.

Learn more about our breastfeeding policies and approach to teaching new mothers here: Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

We have the only Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on the North Coast. Staffed with specially trained health care professionals and offering advanced technology, our NICU provides your newborn with highly specialized care if the need arises.

Our NICU nurses have advanced training in neonatal resuscitation, stabilization and continued care for ill or premature babies.

We provide neonatal transports throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties with specialized neonatal nurses from our NICU.

We also participate in the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Perinatal Outreach Program. Our partnership with UCSF provides:

Around-the-clock clinical consultation with maternal-fetal medicine specialists and neonatologists
Continuing education courses for our team
Emergency response drills and simulations

Classes and Resources

There’s a lot to think about before your new baby’s arrival. That’s why we offer a range of classes to help you prepare for birth, breastfeeding and beyond.

Childbirth Center orientation and childbirth preparation classes are offered weekly. We also offer breastfeeding support groups on Zoom. If in-person classes aren't available because of Covid-19, Zoom classes will be available at the following Zoom ID: 863-5941-6390.

To register, select a class below or call 877-449-3627 for more information.