Maternity Services
Having a baby is one of life’s most momentous experiences. The multidisciplinary team of obstetrics professionals at UCI Health understands this very special time.
We provide a comprehensive range of prenatal services, including genetic testing and counseling, as well as childbirth education programs, to help women prepare for a safe pregnancy and birth. When it’s time for baby to arrive, we offer private suites and a range of birthing options, allowing women to create a birth plan that meets their physical, emotional and family needs.
The expertise of our obstetricians is unmatched, leading UCI Medical Center to be ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the best U.S. hospitals for maternity care and among the nation's top 25 for overall gynecologic care.
Our obstetricians are devoted to ensuring that every patient receives the best possible care. They take the time to get to know each mother-to-be as a person, following her closely from pregnancy to childbirth and postpartum.
Want to learn more about our expert staff, beautiful facility and comprehensive services?
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To make an appointment, call 714-456-2911.
UCI Health offers a full range of obstetric services, from pre-pregnancy genetic testing and planning through postpartum care for mother and baby. Our capabilities encompass not only general obstetrics, but also specialized treatment for high-risk pregnancies and babies born with medical conditions that require more intensive care.
We provide a nurturing and caring environment for our patients and their families because we know that the birth of a baby is one of life’s most important events.
As a university medical center with a strong focus on research, we are committed to offering patients the latest technologies, tests and treatments, including genetic testing. We have pioneered two tests used to determine a woman’s risk for premature labor and have been the first in the nation to adopt other breakthroughs that safeguard the health of both mother and baby.
UCI Medical Center provides the only combined level III perinatal and neonatal program in Orange County, which means we are fully equipped with the technology and specialists to manage high-risk pregnancies and at-risk fetuses.
- UCI Medical Center is the only hospital in Orange County to fully meet national maternity quality care standards.
- At 22%, we have among the lowest cesarean rates for low-risk pregnancies in the region. This beats the national goal of 24% and the Orange County average of 29%.
- Our rate of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is 25% — twice the rate of other Orange County hospitals.
- Our episiotomy rate is 3.3%, compared to an average of 29% at other Orange County hospitals.
- Because we safely deliver a high number of high-risk babies each year (90 in 2015), we have the experience and expertise to manage high-risk pregnancies.
- We provide Orange County's only combined high-risk perinatal and regional/level III neonatal program, which means we are fully equipped with the technology and specialists to manage high-risk pregnancies and at-risk fetuses.
- For the past two years, we have done zero labor inductions before 39 weeks. Inductions are done only when medically necessary.
- We are a Baby Friendly hospital. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is an international designation that recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer optimal care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Because our obstetrical team is part of a university medical center, our patients have access to some of the best and most comprehensive OB services anywhere, including:
Obstetrical anesthesia
If a woman chooses to have a regional block (epidural or combined spinal/epidural) or IV medications to manage labor discomfort, highly trained anesthesiologists specializing in obstetrical care administer and monitor these medications.
Trial of labor after Cesarean delivery
Because we have a full staff available at a moment's notice, we are able to provide women with a prior Cesarean section the chance to deliver vaginally. This is called a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).
Our high-risk pregnancy program provides the consultation services of perinatologists (high-risk pregnancy specialists) and neonatologists (experts in the care of high-risk newborns) in certain cases. Because of our training as surgeons and obstetricians, we are uniquely positioned to take care of pregnancies complicated by fibroids and ovarian cysts.
For babies born prematurely or with medical complications, our NICU provides state-of-the-art treatment, a team of physician specialists called neonatologists, and a staff who is both highly skilled and deeply compassionate toward the needs of sick newborns. Our NICU is one of only two neonatal intensive care nurseries in Orange County accredited to care for the smallest and sickest newborns.
Childbirth education
UCI Medical Center childbirth education program prepares women, their partners and families for the arrival of their baby by discussing the physical and emotional aspects of birth. This in-depth series also helps participants make decisions about anesthesia, medications and other issues so women and families can prepare a personal birth plan in advance. We also offer classes in breastfeeding, newborn care and more.
View our childbirth education classes ›
Hospitalists
The Ob/Gyn Hospitalist Division focuses on your care when you are hospitalized at UCI Medical Center. Our hospitalists primarily work with inpatients and are not available for outpatient appointments. Areas of clinical expertise include:
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Shoulder dystocia
- Emergent Cesarean sections
- Fetal heart rate abnormalities
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- Placenta previas and accretas
- Vaginal breech deliveries
- Operative vaginal deliveries
- Trial of labor after Cesarean section
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Board-certified specialists
Our board-certified physicians are among the best in the nation. And if a newborn needs highly specialized care, UCI Medical Center is home to experts in more than 55 pediatric subspecialties.
Other services include:
- Pre-pregnancy planning
- Childbirth education
- Genetic counseling
- Genetic testing
- Ultrasound
- Premature labor examination and treatment
- High-risk pregnancy evaluation
- Inpatient perinatology (for high-risk pregnancy)
- Fetal therapy, including fetal surgery
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OB Evaluation
Our OB Evaluation Unit is open 24 hours a day for any pregnant woman experiencing complications or concerns. Our specially-trained nurses and physicians are available to monitor contractions, measure the baby’s heartbeat, and perform ultrasounds and non-stress tests if indicated.
The OB Evaluation Unit provides services for pregnant women at 20 weeks gestation and above who are experiencing any pregnancy related concerns or conditions, or who have been referred by a physician. Our unit is also served by physicians specializing in obstetrics and high-risk pregnancies, available in-house 24 hours a day.
Birthing suites
Our brand-new birthing suites are designed with the comfort and privacy of our patients and their families in mind. This is a cozy and quiet place where you, your birthing partner and your care team can interact throughout your labor and birth. Our goal is to keep mother and baby together throughout the birthing process, even if surgery is required.
Our obstetrician, pediatricians and anesthesiologists are all on site 24 hours a day for the convenience and safety of our patients.
Postpartum rooms
After delivery, patients are closely monitored in our new mother-baby unity in the state-of-the-art UCI Douglas Hospital. With very few exceptions, all women are provided private rooms with extra space for family to stay with them at all times.
Newborn nursery
Infants are evaluated daily by pediatricians in the mother's room or in our newborn nursery. Our goal is to never separate a new mother and her baby.
Our obstetricians take the time to get to know each mother-to-be and their families, following every patient closely throughout her pregnancy and childbirth.
Our strength lies in this close relationship and being able to tailor our medical knowledge to each particular case.
Since our obstetrical team is part of a university medical center, patients have access to some of the best and most comprehensive OB services anywhere, including:
Specially trained OB nurses
Highly skilled and experienced, our OB nurses think of themselves as facilitators who are privileged participants in a woman’s birth experience. As an important part of the birth team, they encourage, support and help patients, using their significant expertise to ensure a safe birth. UC Irvine Medical Center is one of a small group of hospitals nationwide to be awarded the Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence, the “gold standard” of nursing care.
Lactation specialists
We are a Baby Friendly-designated hospital, which means that we offer breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies. Our nurses and lactation consultants are available for individual assistance. If patients have difficulties at home, a UC Irvine Medical Center lactation consultant is available to provide advice and guidance over the phone or in person at the hospital.
Board-certified physicians
Our physicians are among the best in their field, and many of them have been named Best Doctors in America™ by their peers.
Our physicians are:
OB Hospitalists
When you are in the hospital, the physician or surgeon who supervises your care is also seeing other patients and performing procedures.
That's why we have highly skilled, board-certified physicians known as hospitalists. They are on duty around the clock to oversee your care, and they collaborate with your primary and specialty physicians.
Learn more about hospitalists ›
Our OB hospitalists are:
