The Royal Women's Hospital maternity guide

The Royal Women's Hospital (the Women's) is a public hospital in Parkville, in Melbourne's Parkville Biomedical Precinct. In 2022, 6,901 babies were born there, according to Safer Care Victoria's performance indicators report. It has a Birth Centre on Level 3 and a tertiary newborn intensive care unit. If you are worried about yourself or your baby, or think you may be in labour, go to the Women's Emergency Care Department at 20 Flemington Road. You can also phone the hospital on (03) 8345 2000, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Royal Women's Hospital maternity at a glance

• Hospital type: Public, with tertiary newborn intensive care
• Run by: The Royal Women's Hospital
• In labour: Go to Women's Emergency Care, lower ground floor, or phone (03) 8345 2000
• Pregnancy care options: Shared care, Team Maternity, MIST, caseload, homebirth, private care
• Antenatal clinic: Pregnancy clinics on Level 1
• Birth Centre: Level 3, with the Assessment Centre
• Nursery: Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on Level 4
• Stay after birth: Depends on how you and your baby are; discharge at 9.30am or from 3.30pm

Where is the Royal Women's Hospital maternity, and how do I contact it?

• Address: The Royal Women's Hospital, 20 Flemington Road, Parkville VIC 3052
• Hospital switchboard: (03) 8345 2000, staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No medical advice is given over the phone.
• Private Patient Liaison Team: (03) 8345 2929, for private maternity care
• Childbirth education: (03) 8345 2143, office open two days a week
• Main entrance: corner of Grattan Street and Flemington Road, ground level
• Women's Emergency Care entrance: Flemington Road, lower ground level
• Parking: paid underground car park, entered from Flemington Road, 6am to 9pm, seven days a week. Parkville Station is about a two-minute walk away.

How do I get referred to the Royal Women's Hospital?

The Women's gives priority to women who live locally, where it is their closest maternity hospital, and to women from across Victoria who need specialist care for a complicated pregnancy. Most women with an uncomplicated pregnancy are cared for at their local maternity hospital.

1. See your GP. Make an appointment to confirm your pregnancy.
2. Ask for a referral. Your GP sends a referral and copies of your test results to the Women's.
3. Wait for your booking letter. Clinicians assess the referral. If it is accepted, a pregnancy booking appointment is sent to you in the mail.
4. Go to your booking appointment. It is held at the pregnancy clinics on the first floor. Staff review your history and tests and talk about your care options.
5. Book your classes. Childbirth and early parenting classes are booked through Eventbrite. Book early and finish the program by 38 weeks.

What pregnancy care options does the Royal Women's offer?

You are not placed in a model of care until after your booking appointment, at around 16 weeks.

• Shared Maternity Care. You choose from about 600 affiliated GPs, midwives or obstetricians. Most visits are in the community and your baby is born in hospital.
• Team Maternity. One of three teams (Blue, Green or Yellow) of midwives, doctors, physiotherapists and dietitians. Midwives provide most of your care.
• Midwives In Small Teams (MIST). Like Team Maternity, with fewer midwives, so you are more likely to see a familiar face.
• Caseload midwifery (COSMOS). One midwife, with back-up midwives, cares for you through pregnancy, birth and after birth. It is not available to everyone.
• Homebirth. Part of the caseload model, for women with a low-risk pregnancy who meet strict criteria. Places are limited.
• Baggarrook Caseload. Midwife-led care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
• Private maternity care. You use your own private obstetrician or midwife at the hospital.
• Specialist clinics. For example the Multiple Birth Clinic, the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic and the Women with Individual Needs (WIN) Clinic.

For more on choosing, see Pregnancy and birth care options.

Where is the Royal Women's antenatal clinic, and are there birth classes?

The pregnancy clinics are on Level 1. Pregnancy Day Care is also listed on Level 1. You usually have an ultrasound at about 20 to 21 weeks, which your GP usually arranges. You are checked more often from about 36 weeks, and the hospital sees all women at about 41 weeks.

Childbirth and early parenting classes run onsite in Parkville or online, on weekends, weekdays and evenings. There are general programs and specific ones, for example for twins or more or Caesarean birth. Classes are free for public patients with an Australian Medicare card. New dates are added on the 1st of each month at 9am, and there are no waitlists. You can also use the hospital's fact sheets, including one on creating a birth plan, which has a template.

What is the Royal Women's Birth Centre like?

The Birth Centre is on Level 3, listed with the Assessment Centre. Births take place there. You can choose to labour or give birth in water if it is safe for you and your baby. In early labour, the Women's says the best place to be is usually at home. Come back to hospital if your waters break, you have bleeding that is not mixed with mucus, your contractions are regular, last more than 30 seconds and are closer than 5 minutes apart, you need pain relief, you are frightened or unsure, or you do not feel your baby moving.

Does the Royal Women's have a NICU?

Yes. The Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is on Level 4. The Women's says it cares for babies referred for tertiary level intensive or special care, and more than 1,700 premature and unwell babies every year.

How long will I stay, and what are the visiting hours at the Royal Women's?

How long you stay depends on how you and your baby are. After birth you move to the maternity wards on Level 4. Discharge is at 9.30am, or from 3.30pm in the afternoon.

Call the hospital on (03) 8345 2000 to check visiting hours before you visit.

What support is there after I take my baby home?

• Breastfeeding Service: the Women's runs a Breastfeeding Service.
• Maternal and Child Health Line: 13 22 29, a 24 hour line answered by maternal and child health nurses.
• NURSE-ON-CALL: 1300 60 60 24, nurse advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Emergency: call 000.

For sleep, follow the Red Nose safe sleep recommendations from the first night home.

Other maternity hospitals near Parkville

• Frances Perry House Private
• Epworth Freemasons Private
• St Vincent's Private Hospital Fitzroy Private
• Mercy Hospital for Women Public
• Northern Hospital Epping Public
• Sunshine Hospital Public

See all Victorian birthing hospitals.

Royal Women's Hospital maternity FAQs

Hospital details checked against The Royal Women's Hospital on 21 October 2026. Services and contact details can change, so confirm with the hospital before you go. This page is general information and is not medical advice.