Personalized labor & delivery care

The highly-skilled maternity services teams at our Dignity Health hospitals are excited and ready to help you deliver your baby. We aim to provide a compassionate birthing experience that respects your preferences while ensuring the health of you and your baby. From a variety pain relief techniques to lactation support and postpartum care, you can count on our dedicated obstetrics team for a full range of support before and after your delivery. 

If you’re giving birth in Central California, Find a Doctor near you to begin planning your delivery at one of our birthing centers:

Bakersfield

• Memorial Hospital
• Mercy Hospital Southwest

Merced

• Mercy Medical Center

Stockton

• St. Joseph's Medical Center

Comprehensive childbirth services at Dignity Health

Whether you’re a first-time mother or not, you’ll need support throughout your labor and delivery. To provide the best care for you and your new baby, our birthing centers offer the following services.

Fetal monitoring­

With the help of advanced medical technology, your doctor and specially trained maternity nurses will monitor your baby’s health before, during, and after birth.

Personalized delivery options

Deciding on how you want to deliver your baby is, in most cases, up to you. If you’re having a C-section or a vaginal birth, or prefer a natural birth without pain medication, your doctor and obstetrics team will be there to support you.

Pain control

Managing your pain is very important. We offer both medical and nonmedical pain relief options, including pregnancy epidural, regional anesthesia, and massage. Your doctor at Dignity Health can explain the benefits and risks of the different types of pain relief.

NICU care

If your new baby needs specialized medical care, our neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) will provide quality treatment until your baby is ready to go home. Babies who are born too small, have breathing problems, or other serious fetal conditions may need the special services of a NICU to thrive.

Baby-Friendly® designation

We are proud to have earned Baby-Friendly® accreditation from Baby-Friendly USA at many of our birth centers. The designation recognizes our commitment to best practices in infant bonding and breastfeeding.

What to expect

The specific procedures you have and how long you stay in the hospital after giving birth depend on the type of delivery, among other things.

The labor and delivery experience for each woman is different. However, our philosophy of care remains the same – to provide a high level of support that’s guided by dignity and respect. When you’re ready to say hello to your new baby, trust the dedicated maternity services team at Dignity Health.

Dignity Health provides personalized care during childbirth in Bakersfield, Merced, and Stockton, CA.