Birth Centers

When it’s time to deliver your baby, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health offers all the care and special services your family needs. Our birthing centers, some recently renovated, are in locations throughout the Puget Sound area so that you can give birth close to home. 

We offer options to tailor your experience before, during and after birth. Our friendly, experienced team honors your wishes while providing high-quality labor, delivery, and recovery services.

Family birth centers are for women who wish to deliver their baby under the care of an obstetrician, certified nurse midwife or family medicine provider. We offer large, comfortable birthing suites, a calm environment, and trusted care. 

Family birth centers include a broad range of services and amenities, some of which are not widely available in the region. Offerings include: 

• Private birthing suites with showers and a recliner for your partner
• Dedicated tubs designed specifically for water births 
• State-of-the-art fetal monitoring and other technology for safe labor and delivery
• Full range of pain management services, including epidurals and nitrous oxide, a harmless gas you inhale to ease discomfort
• Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and special care nursery for babies who need extra medical attention after birth
• Breastfeeding support from certified lactation consultants
• Spacious mother-baby rooms that enable newborns – even ones requiring extra medical attention – to stay with their family

Register online for a childbirth education class and receive an on-site birthing center tour. At this time, tours are only available to those who attend one of our childbirth education classes at certain locations.

Our family birth centers are located in:

• Burien: St. Anne Hospital 
• Enumclaw: St. Elizabeth Hospital 
• Federal Way: St. Francis Hospital
• Silverdale: St. Michael Medical Center 
• Tacoma: St. Joseph Medical Center

The birth centers at St. Francis Hospital and St. Elizabeth Hospital have consistently been recognized by Newsweek magazine among America's Best Maternity Hospitals. This designation is only awarded to the country's top-performing programs, who maintain exceptional outcomes and deliver patient-focused care. 

Our Midwifery Birth Center at St. Joseph Medical Center is the only outpatient birth center on a hospital campus in Washington state. It offers a quiet, private setting for delivering your baby without the business and fluorescent lights of a big hospital. You receive specialized care and support for a natural birth with additional experts nearby should you or your baby need them. 

Our certified nurse midwives guide your care. They work alongside experienced labor and delivery nurses and a doula (if you have one). We provide amenities and supportive services to ease you and your family through the natural birth experience. 

Offerings at our Midwifery Birth Center include: 

• Private birthing suites with queen beds and a home-like environment
• Dedicated tubs designed specifically for water births 
• Nitrous oxide gas, which can ease discomfort
• Birthing balls, hammocks, stools, and bars that give you more options for getting comfortable during labor
• Access to additional experts, including obstetricians for labor complications and neonatologists for newborns requiring extra medical attention
• Breastfeeding support from certified lactation consultants

Take a virtual tour of the Midwifery Birth Center. You can also complete admission paperwork before your arrival (pre-registration) by calling 1-866-779-4347.

Our free downloadable maternity guide provides everything you need to know as you take your first steps toward motherhood: Having Your Baby with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. 

We provide valuable information about:  

• Choosing a maternity care provider
• Prenatal do’s and don’ts
• Selecting a Virginia Mason Franciscan Health birth center
• Tailoring your birth plan
• What to bring to the hospital
    

Find out more about our pregnancy and childbirth services or make an appointment.