Family Birth Center at St. Joseph Medical Center

For families who are welcoming a new baby, nothing is more important than high-quality care throughout pregnancy and childbirth. At. St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, we provide expert medical care and comprehensive support as you bring a new life into the world.

St. Joseph delivers more babies in the South Puget Sound than any other hospital, and offers extensive prenatal, obstetrical, delivery and postpartum care. You’ll receive care from board-certified physicians and highly trained staff with the experience and skill for any situation.

The Family Birth Center at St. Joseph offers:

• High-risk pregnancy care
• Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• 24-hour OB hospitalists: Board-certified physicians specializing in obstetrics immediately available on-site for labor and delivery
• Partnership with the Neonatology team at Seattle Children’s Hospital for specialty newborn care, if needed
• Midwifery services
• Childbirth and family education classes
• Breastfeeding support with our certified lactation consultants, including inpatient room visits and outpatient follow-up (by appointment only)
• Frenotomy and treatment options for babies with tongue-tie
• Vaginal birth after cesarean (or VBAC)
• Waterbirth
• Pelvic physical therapy program for pregnancy and postpartum conditions
• Baby photos and WebNursery
• Doulas: Certified professionals trained to provide physical and emotional support to pregnant women both before and after childbirth

We designed our all-private birthing suites with your family’s comfort and privacy in mind. Our beautifully decorated suites provide a soothing setting including:

• Private bathroom with whirlpool tub to help ease labor pains
• Sleeper cots for the support person to rest after mom delivers and space for visitors
• Spacious rooms with city and mountain views
• State-of-the-art fetal monitoring and other technology for safe labor and delivery
• Quick access to operating rooms for C-section, if needed

The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) and International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) have recognized St. Joseph Medical Center for excellence in lactation care.

Register online for an in-person childbirth education class and receive an on-site birthing center tour. At this time, tours are only available to those who attend one of our childbirth education classes. 

Preparing for childbirth can be overwhelming. To help you get started, we’ve created a free downloadable guide that provides everything you need to know as you take your first steps toward motherhood with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health.