Having Your Baby at Andrews

Step by step

Births a year: About 700
Patient satisfaction: 99%
Rooms: Private and semi-private

Choose an obstetrician who delivers here
Your obstetrician looks after you through pregnancy and delivers your baby. 93 obstetricians and gynaecologists hold practising privileges at Andrews.
Have your antenatal care
You’ll see your obstetrician regularly, more often as your due date approaches. Blood tests and ultrasound scans can be done in our laboratory and Imaging department.
Book your delivery with the hospital
Your obstetrician gives you a letter confirming that you’ll deliver at Andrews. Bring it to Patient Services with your ID and health card. We’ll confirm your insurance cover and tell you the deposit for a normal delivery and for a caesarean section.
Pay your deposit before the day
Paying well ahead of your due date means there’s nothing to arrange when labour starts.
Pack your bag by 36 weeks
Babies keep their own calendar. Use the checklist below.

Due date calculator

Enter the first day of your last period for an estimate of your due date and the weeks that matter along the way.

First day of your last period

Usual cycle length

Enter a date to see your estimated due date and the weeks that matter.

Only about one baby in twenty arrives on the due date. An early ultrasound gives a more accurate date than a calculator, and your obstetrician’s date is the one to go by.

When to come in

Your obstetrician will tell you when to call and when to come. As a general guide, it’s time when:

Your contractions are regular, about five minutes apart, and have been for an hour
Your waters break, even if you have no pain

Come in straight away, at any hour, if:

You have bleeding
Your baby is moving much less than usual
You have a severe headache, blurred vision or sudden swelling of your face and hands
You have strong, regular pains before 37 weeks

The hospital never closes.Accident & Emergency and the Maternity Unit are staffed 24 hours a day. (876) 926-7401

Your stay on Unit 400

A semi-private room in the Maternity Unit

Unit 400 is in the Tai Wing. Midwives supervise the unit day to day, and your obstetrician leads your care. After the birth you’ll rest in the room you chose:

Private room: One mother, private bathroom
Semi-private room: Two mothers, shared bathroom

Visitors

Family and friends can visit from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Two or three visitors at a time, please, and no children under 12 on the unit. Visitor guide

After your baby arrives

Unit 400 has its own newborn nursery, and midwives care for you and your baby until you go home.

Every birth in Jamaica has to be registered with the Registrar General’s Department, so settle on a name in good time. Before you leave, ask your obstetrician when they want to see you again and when your baby should first see a paediatrician.

The first baby born at Andrews in 2026 arrived at 11:47 on New Year’s morning. Her mother and her big sister were both born here too.

Read baby Selah’s story in the Jamaica Observer

Questions people ask

Can my partner be with me during labour?

Talk to your obstetrician and the midwives on Unit 400 about who you’d like with you. They’ll explain what’s possible in the delivery suite.

What if I need a caesarean section?

Our operating theatre is on the same campus, and about half of the babies born at Andrews arrive by caesarean. Your obstetrician will discuss the reasons and the plan with you, whether it’s booked in advance or decided during labour.

What happens if my baby needs extra care?

The Maternity Unit has a newborn nursery, and paediatricians hold practising privileges at the hospital. Your baby’s doctor will explain what care is needed and where it will be given.

How long will I stay?

It depends on how you and your baby are doing. Many mothers go home a day or two after a normal delivery and a little longer after a caesarean. Your obstetrician decides with you.