Warm. Safe. Trusted. Empowering.

The Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre is a midwife-led birth and wellness centre located in southeast Ottawa that offers a broad range of maternal and infant services to Ottawa clients, newborns, and their families. These services include prenatal care, labour and delivery, breastfeeding support and educational programs.

A Safe Space:
Watch Their Stories

We recognize that families come in many different shapes and sizes, and that birthing parents can be any gender. With this in mind, we strive to ensure that all people have a positive, affirming experience during their labour and birth at the Centre.

Our Birth Centre

Testimonials

 

“This is the way a birth should be: supported, empowering, positive. So thankful for the knowledgeable staff and excellent facilities. I feel like a superhero.”

"It was an amazing experience and we can’t thank the midwife and birth center enough for this.”

“This was the most incredible experience of my life. I felt so empowered and it felt so natural to give birth in that way. I just want to thank my midwife for talking to me about the centre because I didn’t know about it!”

“Giving birth in a wonderful place as the OBWC really made a positive difference on bringing a child into this world.”

“I am glad I had the chance to give birth there!”

“I LOVED the birth centre and I am so grateful I had access to this facility for my labour and birth experience!!!”

“Beautiful facility, tasty food after, pleasant experience.”

What You Need to Know About the Birth Centre

Anyone with a home address in Ontario, in the care of a midwife who has appointment at the Centre, and experiencing a normal, low-risk pregnancy, and meeting the Centre’s eligibility criteria, which your midwife will review with you in the prenatal period, can choose to give birth at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre at no cost.

Wellness Centre services are available to all members of the public, regardless of care provider or where they are planning to give birth.

Birthing services at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre are fully funded by Ontario Health, this includes Ontario residents who do not currently have OHIP. There is no fee paid by clients when they give birth at the Centre. People planning to give birth at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre must be under the care of one of the Centre's appointed midwives.

The Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre is committed to serving all clients and their families, including people with disabilities. Designated parking is available, service animals are welcome, and all areas of the Centre are wheelchair-accessible. Please contact us if you have specific questions.

Your midwife will ensure that you remain a good candidate for a Birth Centre birth during your pregnancy and labour. If complications arise while you are at the Birth Centre, your midwife will recommend that you transfer to a hospital. The Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre has well-established transfer protocols with paramedic services and local hospitals. We are conveniently located within seven minutes of CHEO and The Ottawa Hospital – General Campus.

The core services provided in the birth centre are midwife-led and consistent with the Midwifery Act, 1991, the Regulations made under the Act, and Ontario midwifery standards of practice. The OBWC is licensed through the Integrated Community Health Services Centre branch of the Ministry of Health and is compliant with the regulations under the ICHSC Act 2023.

The OBWC adheres to established Facility Standards & Clinical Practice Parameters for Midwife-Led Birth Centres. These standards were established by the College of Midwives and set minimum standards for all midwife-led birth centres.  The OBWC is accredited by Accreditation Canada.

Note that we are temporarily closed during renovation.


The Birth Centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We are staffed around the clock by a team of non-clinical Birth Centre Aides, who provide support to midwives and clients. Clients should always contact their midwife before coming to the Centre.