Accessing Prenatal Care

Accessing Prenatal Care in the Halifax/Dartmouth area

There are a few options for accessing prenatal care within the Halifax/Dartmouth/Bedford/Sackville area:

• If you have a primary care provider, see them first. They can assess your specific situation and send a referral to the prenatal care provider who is right for you. If you are in need of a primary care provider, please see Accessing Primary Care for options.

• If you do not have a primary care provider, you may self-refer to family physicians who provide prenatal care and accept self-referrals. The list of those physicians is here:  Prenatal Self Referral. Please note: these providers are unable to take patients on as their long-term family doctor. 

• You may also self-refer to the IWK Midwives. Midwives provide complete care during pregnancy and postpartum, including: regular visits, diagnostic tests, routine bloodwork, and emotional support. You can call a midwife as soon as you know you are pregnant to request care. That can be done by emailing midwiferyintake@iwk.nshealth.ca or calling 902-491-2292. What is a midwife?

• There are other options for prenatal care that require a referral from a physician, nurse practitioner, or midwife. These options include IWK prenatal clinics in both Halifax and Dartmouth, as well as some independent obstetricians who practice in the community. To get a referral to any of these options, speak with your primary care provider. If you don't have a primary care provider, you can go to a walk-in clinic (see Accessing Primary Care) or use Virtual Care NS. The healthcare providers you speak to can assess your specific situation and then refer you to the prenatal care option that is right for you.

• If you need emergency care and you are less than 20 weeks pregnant, please go to the adult emergency department nearest you. If you are experiencing a pregnancy-related emergency and are more than 20 weeks pregnant, please go to the Early Labor Assessment Unit at IWK Health.