Birthing in San Diego? Why You Should Choose UCSD Medical Center

If you have lived in San Diego long, or done any research on your options for birthing in San Diego you may find yourself a little overwhelmed by the choices of birthing hospitals. The first question you need to ask yourself is what type of birthing experience do you desire? 
For those mamas who know they are going to need a surgical birth, or a high intervention birth, perhaps some of the bigger hospitals with high cesarean rates might be your best option. But for the family who is seeking a more personal experience in a Hospital, you can do no better than UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest! (As of the date this blog was published, the brand new Birthing facility at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla has not yet opened. Stay tuned for an updated review as soon as possible!) Not only was UCSD one of the first hospitals to become a nationally certified “Baby Friendly Hospital,” but it has been my experience as a doula who has attended many births at UCSD that they are also the most “mama friendly” hospital. Not only do they have a great Labor and Delivery unit, but they have the only actual Birth Center located in a hospital setting where mama’s  can labor in a birthing tub and receive the midwifery model of care while birthing their baby in a beautiful room with a lovely queen size bed!  

UCSD also has a wonderful volunteer doula program called Hearts and Hands Doulas that families can take advantage of once they arrive at the Hospital. While I know many of the Hearts and Hands Doulas personally, and any family would be so blessed to be served by these women, I do want to offer a little bit of caution. Hearts and Hands Doulas work on an on-call basis. On a busy night, they may all be booked up and a laboring mama runs the risk of walking into the hospital and not having the support of a doula that she desperately needs in that moment. Another thing to consider is that the majority of labor is spent at home and many mamas find that they need the support of a doula at home, someone there to help guide them and support them before they make the decision to head into the hospital and to help ensure they don’t arrive too early. For that reason, many families should consider hiring an independent doula to be there for continuous support. 


So, you have chosen UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest as your birthing location, so what do you need to know? Call your care provider when your surges/contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting at least 60 seconds, for at least 1 hour consistently. When your provider tells you to come in, depending on the time of day, there are 2 different options for parking and entering the building. If you arrive during the hours of 6am-8pm, you may enter through the main entrance on Arbor Drive. You can valet park your car from 8:30am-4:30pm M-F for $5 plus 50 cents per half-hour up to $5. The daily max is $10. The Arbor parking structure has pay-by-space machines located on levels 1-8, take your ticket with you and and you can add hours after you’ve parked at a machine in the cafeteria. $4 for the 1st two hours, $1 per hours thereafter, maximum $8 per day. You can also park in the ACE parking lot across from the main entrance for $3 per hour. If you arrive between the hours of 8pm-6am, you will have to enter through the Emergency Department entrance on Front Street.

You may park in the South  Parking lot on the NE corner of Front St and W Arbor Dr. If you have to walk to your car at night, wether you are parked in the South lot or in the Arbor Parking structure, please see the security guard sitting just inside of the Emergency Department doors for a security escort to your car. There are many homeless people residing in Hillcrest and it is better to be over cautious, especially women walking alone. Also note that if you need to head to the 4th floor for the Birth Center and the Postpartum rooms, you can only use the main lobby elevators, the other elevators will not stop at the 4th floor. If you have family visiting, there is a small waiting area outside of the double doors before both the L & D wing and the Birth Center wing. There is a decent cafeteria on the main floor, close to the main lobby elevators. The cafeteria is only open from 6:30am-8pm though you can also find vending machines filled with all kinds of snacks and drink options down there as well. This is also where the kiosk to add hours to your parking permit. 

Labor and Delivery

The birthing rooms on the Labor and Delivery floor are decent sized, some are bigger than others. Most rooms have a shower in the bathroom, but there is also a  private shower room in the hall for those that don’t. There are cushioned chairs that pull out flat into a small sleeping area for partners and other birth support people who might like to rest. UCSD is the only hospital in San Diego that offers Nitrous Gas (aka laughing  gas) to mamas as a method of pain medication during labor. All mamas on the L & D floor have access to squat bars, birth balls, and peanut balls, you just have to request it from the nurse. The nurses at UCSD are some of the best in the county, make sure to get to know your nurses! They can be your biggest allies! It’s always an appreciated gesture when families show up with a little treat for the nurses. 

UCSD Birth Center

 If you are one of the lucky mamas who gets to birth in the Birth Center, then you may find yourself in a beautiful, homey room with a tub for you to labor in, a shower, and a queen size 4-poster bed for you to  birth in. At this time, UCSD does not offer water births, you can labor and push in the tub, but you need to get out of the tub for birthing. In addition to the birthing tubs in the birth center you have access to birth balls, peanut balls, bean bags, birthing stools and many other tools that can help you achieve an unmedicated birth. The Birth Center is only for mamas who are receiving their prenatal care from the UCSD midwives and who are considered low risk. There are many factors that can risk you out of birthing in the birth center, unfortunately. Mamas who birth past 42 weeks, prolonged rupture of membranes, any medical condition that requires continuous fetal monitoring, and any request for pain medication would be some of the reasons why mamas would have to transfer to the L & D floor. The wonderful thing is that you can still receive care from your midwife even on L & D if you do have to transfer!

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This gorgeous couple had the most beautiful birthing experience
​in the Birth Center. This mama is just glowing!

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UCSD Support Staff

UCSD nurses are some of the most supportive and friendly nurses I have come across in all of San Diego. They will go out of their way to make sure families have everything they need and they do a great job educating mamas and helping them feel empowered. As a doula, I always take the nurse-doula relationship very seriously and the nurses there are so kind and welcoming. Every postpartum nurse has been trained in lactation and can help mamas with all of their breastfeeding questions. Lactation Specialists are also available 24 hours a day for the mamas who need a little extra assistance. Postpartum mamas get spoiled at UCSD. Birth Center mamas get to stay in their birth suites until it is time to go home. Labor and Delivery mamas are transferred to spacious postpartum rooms on the 4th floor 2 hours after the birth of their baby. Visitors are allowed at anytime, but UCSD does have a “nap time” between the hours of 2-4pm where they encourage families to sleep and they have no unnecessary interruptions from the staff during that time. 

I truly believe that San Diego is so lucky to have this UCSD as an option. Not only can you labor in a birthing tub and experience the midwifery model of care, you have the option of having a supportive Doula, and they also have one of the best Neonatal units in the county. I highly recommend UCSD to all families, no matter what type of birthing experience they are hoping for, you will definitely find what you need. I cannot wait for the new Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla to open up!

Check out this link to a video from UCSD with a sneak peak!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3owD2uz2kE

Written by Jenn Smith, CD(DONA), HBCE, APPCA owner of Light in the Womb Birth Services www.lightinthewomb.com