New birthing program now open!
Sunnybrook's Women & Babies Program officially opened today at 2075 Bayview Avenue, following a landmark relocation operation this morning.
The permanent move transferred critically ill and premature newborns, women in labour and Sunnybrook staff during a well-planned transfer from rented space at 76 Grenville Street.
The 9 kilometre, 3-hour move included:
- about 70 patient transfers
- about 20 NICU baby transfers in special incubators
- about 20 transport vehicles
Starting immediately, women in labour should go to 2075 Bayview Avenue for care. Labour and deliveries will no longer be done at 76 Grenville Street. Sunnybrook's new Women & Babies Program offers women one of the best birthing experiences in Canada. Specializing in high-risk and multiple births and neonatal intensive care, the brand new, two-floor, 120,000 square foot space will deliver approximately 4,250 babies every year. Of these deliveries, one quarter are considered high risk and the teams at Sunnybrook will care for one of every five babies born in Ontario who weigh less than three pounds. The Women & Babies Program also houses the largest breastfeeding clinic in the country.
Features of the new facilities include:
- A total of 20 Labour, Birthing, Recovery and Postpartum Rooms, where women with low-risk pregnancies and deliveries will journey through labour, to delivery and finally, recover in the same room as their babies
- A 25 Bed Maternal and Newborn Unit, providing care for new families and the birth of their baby
- A 23 Bed High-Risk Pregnancy Unit, for women who have pregnancy complications and require inpatient care
- There are three Operative Birthing Rooms for women to have Caesarian sections, where mothers can watch their babies being cared for immediately after delivery on closed circuit television
- A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with capacity for 48 babies, providing around-the-clock care for a projected 1,200 babies a year
