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Prenatal and postpartum clinic appointments may be spread further apart or postponed if there are no immediate concerns. You may receive a call from your doctor or midwife’s office to reschedule your appointment to a later date based on your stage of pregnancy. Some providers are also organizing virtual or telephone appointments rather than you coming to the hospital.
If you have concerns about your pregnancy please contact your doctor or midwife’s office. Alternately, you can come to the Obstetrical triage department at the hospital located in B zone 4th floor. This is open 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. We don’t want anyone to avoid coming to hospital because of a fear of COVID. Very careful precautions are in place to keep you safe. If you think you have COVID-related symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or fever, please call the OB triage before coming so they can be prepared.
When you do come to hospital you will be screened at the entrance. Please answer the questions truthfully especially if you are sick or may have had contact with someone with COVID-19. You will see staff wearing masks or other personal protective equipment.
If you need careful planning with a nurse you will be contacted by phone for this planning to start. We are all doing what we can to support you and make your birth experience as normal as possible despite all that’s happening.
Unfortunately, no visitors, partners or children are able to accompany patients coming for clinic appointments. This restriction is in place for all clinics, hospital-wide, to minimize the number of people in hospital. There is a visitor exception for patients coming to hospital in active labour. Please refer to the visitor policy posted on our website or view the video about labour and birth for details about this. Please remember that this policy also applies to hospital employees. If your partner works at LHSC they must follow the same rules and cannot come to the clinic with you for your appointment.
Many of our patients bring their partner or support person to help translate if they are not fully english-speaking. Unfortunately, exceptions will not be made for these visitors, instead professional Interpretation services will be arranged by phone to assist with interpretation during these restrictions. Please mention this to the care provider organizing your appointment so that phone interpretation services can be organized in advance.
If you are concerned about being alone for your appointment, you may use your own device to arrange a video chat with your support person during your appointment. We also have some devices that can assist with this if you don’t have your own. If you come in for an ultrasound, our Ultrasound Technologists will print extra pictures so you can share these with your partner or family. Please discuss taking your own photos or using a video chat before doing so.
We are making every effort to keep our clinic space as safe as possible for everyone. Please clean your hands as you arrive, throughout your visit and before you leave the hospital. The chairs in our waiting areas have been carefully arranged to maintain physical distancing and there is signage regarding how to distance in an elevator since this is incredibly important right now!
