Patient portal
We look after you and your baby throughout your pregnancy, during the birth and when you return home; we’ll be right by your side.
Bringing a baby into the world is always an extraordinary and very intense moment for the family, and it is important to have confidence in the centre and the healthcare team looking after the mother and baby.
For a normal pregnancy and birth, the main aim of BCNatal at the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital is to provide the highest level of safety and the best possible experience for both you and your baby, ensuring personalised and respectful care throughout the birth.
A care model for pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period
We want you to feel comfortable and to share one of the best moments of your life with us and your family.
This is a special time, and we want the person you have chosen to be by your side to be with you during visits, whilst you are having scans and, of course, at every stage of your pregnancy, during the birth and in the days that follow.
The SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital follows the MARE programme, a highly regarded maternity care model that sets us apart in our obstetric care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.
- Our care model for pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period ensures respectful and person-centred care, upheld by the strongest scientific evidence and quality standards.
- The MARE (MAternidad REspetada) specialised care programme guarantees a respectful, physiologic birth with minimal medical interference.
- Our mothers are given a personalised birth plan that takes their preferences and needs into account.
- We hold information sessions to familiarise families with the centre and all aspects of childbirth.
- Our highly specialised professionals and continuous fetal monitoring systems ensure total safety and the best possible experience.
- We are constantly exploring ways to improve the patient experience, with the mother and her family at the heart of our mission and objective:
- Through both qualitative research (via focus groups with women, birth partners and professionals) and quantitative research (using satisfaction and evaluation questionnaires), we identify our strengths and areas for improvement, which we prioritise and address through multidisciplinary teams.
- We regularly monitor care and experience indicators via our quality dashboard.
To provide safe and respectful care during childbirth at BCNatal at the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, we are constantly innovating our practice with cutting-edge technological developments and models to ensure the best possible maternity experience and the highest standards of safety.
Our main aim is to provide the highest level of safety and the best possible experience for both the mother and the baby, ensuring personalised and respectful care during childbirth.
Ten reasons for your baby to be born at SJD
Our main objective is to achieve the highest levels of safety with the best experience for mother and baby, guaranteeing personalized and respectful treatment during childbirth.
1. Welcome and information session for all pregnant women
We hold an information session with audiovisual support to inform pregnant women and their companions about our way of working, as well as the hospital facilities, the professionals involved, the standard pathways, etc. The session is conducted by a midwife who explains the entire process. If a disease has been diagnosed in the fetus, the pregnant woman meets with the neonatologist and is introduced to both the unit and the team of professionals who will treat the newborn after birth.
2. Protocols and medical history shared with the primary care centre
Follow-up of pregnancy is coordinated with primary care centres (CAPs) and the same protocols are used. In addition, the tests that you undergo can be discussed at both the hospital and your CAP. At the time of hospital discharge, low-risk patients are referred to the CAP for postpartum monitoring of the mother and the newborn.
3. Accompaniment of the pregnant woman
During pregnancy monitoring, you may be accompanied by the person of your choice on both outpatient visits and visits to the ultrasound department. You may also be accompanied on emergency visits, during the dilatation period, and in birth. Even if you have a Caesarean birth, your companion may be present. If in a vital emergency situation the team of professionals does not feel that your companion's presence is appropriate, it will explain this in advance.
4. Modern and welcoming rooms for dilatation and birth
We have modern and welcoming rooms for dilatation and birth, with no need to change rooms. Accessory materials such as balls, mirrors, music, and showers can also be used.
The newborn remains with the mother at all times, and we promote mother/baby contact, skin to skin, immediately after birth. If the mother and father authorize it, the hospital collects umbilical cord blood, which is stored in the public tissue bank. This donation poses no risk to the mother or the newborn and may contribute to the healing of children and adults who suffer from serious diseases.
5. Leading neonatology department
The Hospital has a leading Neonatology Department, which applies the most advanced technologies, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and is specialised in the treatment of high-complexity diseases, such as extreme prematurity, heart diseases and other more prevalent diseases. Our neonatologists are available 24 hours a day, both in the delivery room and in hospitalisation.
6. Individual rooms
Of our hospitalisation rooms, 98% are for individual use and have recently been remodelled. They have a sofa bed for a companion and an adapted bathroom.
7. Special area for newborn care
The Hospital's philosophy is to keep the newborn close to the mother at all times. For this reason, we have adapted our rooms with an area specially prepared to provide newborn care.
8. Hospital open 24 hours a day to families
At the Hospital we do not limit visits to a few specific time slots, so you may receive a visit whenever you wish. We are open 24 hours a day, both in hospitalisation and in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, in order to promote contact between parents and newborns at all times.
9. Leading healthcare team
A highly qualified healthcare team cares for you at all times. In addition, if necessary, the newborn is cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which has first-class facilities and cutting-edge therapies. The hospital is also a referral centre for several fetal diseases.
10. Natural birth assistance without risk
All low-risk pregnant women who desire it may have natural birth assistance. The protocol is presented to the pregnant woman at the primary care centre. The protocol is presented at the primary care center and a visit is made to the hospital with the midwife to agree on the entire process until birth and share the delivery plan.
Are you trying to get pregnant, or do you think you might already be?
If you’re hoping to become a mother, or if you think you might already be pregnant, we recommend that you book an appointment with the midwife or relevant healthcare professional at your local health centre for a pre-pregnancy check-up.
Are you trying to get pregnant, or do you think you might already be?
If you are hoping to become a mother, or if you think you might already be pregnant, we recommend that you book an appointment with the midwife or relevant healthcare professional at your local health centre for a pre-pregnancy check-up.
The aim of this visit is to ensure that pregnancy begins under the best possible conditions – physically, emotionally and environmentally – which will increase the chances of carrying the pregnancy to term.
- Eat a nutritionally balanced diet and use iodised salt.
- Avoid eating fish with high mercury levels (tuna, swordfish, albacore).
- Keep your weight within the normal range. If necessary, you will be given information and advice on diet and physical activity to help you maintain a healthy weight.
- Do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day, such as brisk walking.
- Avoid tobacco, alcohol and toxic substances, as well as deliberate exposure to second-hand smoke.
- Promote emotional wellbeing: consider whether you need professional support, and engage in activities that bring you calm and a sense of wellbeing.
An important aspect to bear in mind if you are planning to become pregnant is fertility, which is influenced by both female and male factors, such as age. Be sure to ask any questions you may have about fertility during your pre-pregnancy consultation.