Visitor and guest information for labor and delivery patients

Labor and delivery patients may have two designated support persons/partners with them (generally one support person and one additional visitor). If desired by the patient, a doula is also permitted to be present, if prior arrangements have been made with the hospital and if the doula follows hospital guidelines about personal protective equipment and infection control.

Please contact the University Birthing Suites at  916-703-3030 to begin the preapproval process for doula attendance at births.

As always, these support persons and visitors – like all others throughout our hospital – are only allowed if they DO NOT have symptoms of illness, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath. We can't allow children under 16 at this time.

Support persons and visitors will also need to closely follow any instructions from our staff about topics such as any requirements for screening, testing, vaccination, wearing personal protective equipment, and staying in the room versus in public spaces.

Visitors and caregivers (including parents or guardians) who are COVID-positive are not allowed in the inpatient setting.

Our care philosophy at UC Davis Health has always emphasized family and loved ones. The coronavirus pandemic prompted us to take a variety of extra steps to protect our patients, staff, visitors and the community from infectious illnesses that may be present in the community.

For example, our hospital as a whole has also been limiting the number of guests who can visit our patients, in order to protect our hospitalized patients and keep them safe.

The decision to restrict visitors is a difficult one, and made only after very careful considerations. Our goal is to protect you, your loved ones, and other patients. We appreciate your understanding.

We have several protocols in place to ensure people have safe deliveries with us. For example, our patients are prescreened for symptoms of illness before entering the Labor and Delivery unit. All mothers admitted to the Labor and Delivery unit are tested for COVID-19. 

UC Davis Medical Center as a whole also has multiple screening and safety protocols for symptoms of illness, including several that involve our patients and visitors. 

Note: Our maternity services director Debra Wright discusses pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care during the pandemic in this YouTube video, as does perinatal nurse educator and safety specialist Angelique Silva in this YouTube video. 

As always, we can offer our expecting moms the extraordinary expertise of the Sacramento region's only nationally ranked academic health center and Sacramento's No. 1-ranked hospital.

In addition to skilled partnership for routine pregnancies, we can provide the highest standard of management for high-risk pregnancies, unique health concerns, complications, and unexpected situations. This expertise, also available on-site around the clock, is a hallmark of our care. We are uniquely prepared for special situations and emergencies.

UC Davis experts also share their expertise nationally and internationally in the care of pregnant mothers and newborns.

While our regular in-person, nurse-guided maternity tours may be canceled at times, our expecting moms can still view a maternity tour online.

We accept many major health insurance plans. To learn more about us or begin your maternity care with us, please give us a call:

If you are in labor or need obstetrical help and you test positive for COVID-19:

• Our medical staff admits you into the unit, and converts your room into a negative pressure room to prevent the spread of the virus. All rooms can be converted to negative pressure rooms
• Our medical staff wears personal protective equipment (PPE).

If you are not in labor and do not need immediate obstetrical help, but are showing flu-like symptoms, our labor and delivery unit will send you to our Emergency Department.