Having a baby at Quinte Health

Click here for more information about what to expect on the Maternal Child unit.

For entrance information and hours, please see the Visiting page.

Maternal Child Visiting Restrictions

COVID-19 and Pregnancy 

Click here for some important messages.

Take Our Tour:

Click here for a virtual tour of our unit. In this short video you'll meet some of our staff and be able to view some of our patient care areas. We hope this will assist you in your journey of having a baby at Belleville General Hospital.

Pre-Admission Form

Please complete this form and bring it into the Patient Registration department (located on Quinte 3 of Belleville General Hospital) about a month prior to your due date.  If you don't have a pre-existing reason to come to Belleville General Hospital about a month before your due date, and you prefer not to make an extra trip into the hospital, please have your obstetrician's office fax the form on your behalf to Quinte 7. 

What to bring / Parking information:

• Click here for a printable list of what to bring with you to the hospital
• Click here for parking information

Prenatal care:

Click here for a link to prenatal classes, including labour & delivery (with tour), in partnership with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.

Community resources:

• Click here for our Social Worker's summary of helpful parenting resources
• Click here for breast pump rental information
• Click here for information about car seats and installation.
• Tweed Gateway Community Health Centre offers car seat installation clinics. Call 613-478-1211

Also, please see "Parents in need of assistance" section below for further community resources by topic.

Educational materials:

To watch a video on safe sleep practices for your newborn baby, click here.

For information on breastfeeding please review "Breastfeeding Matters" an information guide sponsored by the government of Ontario.

For general information about best baby care, check out the Best Start Resource Centre or Caring for Kids.  

For information on Nutrition visit HerNutrition.ca. The website is developed by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) to help women of all ages and backgrounds make informed decisions about the food they eat. The website is divided into five main life stages: Nutrition through the teen years, then adulthood (including considerations for preconception), during pregnancy, when breastfeeding and menopause and beyond. 

Exceptional circumstances:

Every family and birthing experience is unique; however, there are some exceptional circumstances that may benefit from pre-admission planning, or additional supports of one kind of another. To assist in these situations, our program employs a registered social worker who is available to help address your concerns both prior to admission, and during your hospital stay.

These circumstances might include:

• Perinatal loss/demise;
• Planning a public or private adoption;
• Birth by surrogacy/gestational carrier;
• Issues about safety and/or domestic violence;
• Babies at risk of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS);
• Known genetic, developmental or medical challenges that are anticipated.

For further information on our management of surrogate births, please click here for a handout summarizing our policy and practices. To complete the pre-admission surrogacy questionnaire, please click here. To speak to the perinatal social worker about any of these issues, please call Darlene at 613-969-7400 x 2775.

Parents in need of assistance:

If you are a parent, or parent-to-be, and you are struggling with psychosocial issues that can impact your family, please explore the following links/resources (by topic):

• Substance abuse - Drug and Alcohol Helpline
• Inadequate Housing - Hastings Housing Resource Centre
• Financial Hardship - Ontario Works (Hastings County Social Services)
• Domestic Violence - 3 Oaks Foundation
• Legal Issues - Community Advocacy & Legal Clinic
• For support with Pediatric Mental Health Services, click here.

You can also access our communities "Red Cards" by clicking here, which provide a quick overview of all of the emergency services available by community:

Prince Edward County:

For families in Prince Edward County, you can explore community-specific services through the following:

The Hub a community family resource centre serving the needs of parents and children in Prince Edward County. They offer a number of prenatal and parenting specific programs, as well as the Ontario Early Years Centre, licensed daycare and home child care services.

Prince Edward Family Health Team offers education and support for expectant and new mothers; including prenatal education, breastfeeding support, reproductive health, child & youth health, referrals and outreach. For direct inquiries, please feel free to contact the team's Maternal Infant Child Program Nurse, Jennifer Howting, at 613-476-0400 ext. 238 or email jhowting@pefht.com 

Hastings & Prince Edward Health Unit offers a variety of support services and has a branch office in Picton. Please call 613-476-7471 to learn about available programs.

Quinte Health's Maternal Child Program is a proud partner of the Hastings & Prince Edward Children & Youth Services Network