When Planned Birth Places Shift: How Doula Support Can Help Families Navigate Maternity Diversions at Peace Arch Hospital

Recently, Fraser Health announced that Peace Arch Hospital and Ridge Meadows Hospital may undergo temporary maternity diversions due to a shortage of obstetrician-gynecologist physicians. Expectant families who had planned to birth at these locations might be guided to other facilities to ensure safe, uninterrupted care. These kinds of diversions — sometimes lasting multiple days — can be confusing, stressful, and emotionally heavy for families preparing for birth. (Fraser Health)

Why Diversions Can Be Stressful

Birth planning is inherently emotional and physiological. When a family has envisioned a particular hospital, care team, or birth space, changes — especially close to the due date — can trigger anxiety, uncertainty, and a feeling of losing control. Even when diversions are in place for safety reasons, birthing bodies and nervous systems register unpredictability as stress, which can ripple into labour progress, pain perception, and decision-making energy.

Continuous Support Matters — Especially in Tough Situations

This is where doula support becomes especially valuable. Unlike medical providers whose primary focus is clinical care, doulas are trained to provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support during labour and birth. Strong evidence shows that continuous labour support is associated with:

• shorter labours

• fewer cesarean and instrumental births

• reduced need for pain medication

• improved satisfaction with the birth experience

• better maternal-infant outcomes overall (ACHI)

Even professional organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists acknowledge that continuous one-to-one support from trained birth companions — such as doulas — can improve outcomes beyond standard hospital care alone. (Wikipedia)

How Doulas Help When Plans Change

When a maternity diversion or change in birth location happens, doulas can support families in ways that complement clinical care:

1. Emotional and nervous-system regulation.
Uncertainty can increase adrenaline, which interferes with oxytocin and slows labour. A doula offers steady presence, calm cues, and reassurance that helps the nervous system settle.

2. Advocacy and clarity.
Hospital staff may be stretched thin during physician shortages. Doulas act as an additional layer of support — helping translate questions, remind families of their preferences, and gently hold space for voices that might otherwise feel lost in busyness.

3. Continuity regardless of location.
Whether the birth ends up at another hospital, a larger site, or a different unit, a doula’s role remains steady. This continuity of support helps families feel less adrift when care settings change unexpectedly.

4. Preparedness and flexibility.
Doulas work with families before labour to explore options, discuss what matters most to them, and outline ways to maintain agency in shifting circumstances.

Support That Fits All Outcomes

It’s important to acknowledge that diversions are often implemented with safety in mind — they are a system strategy when local physician coverage is temporarily limited. Yet safety doesn’t need to come at the expense of presence, dignity, or emotional continuity. Doula support can help families feel:

• grounded when plans shift

• informed when decisions loom

• seen and supported throughout the birthing process

Even in unexpected scenarios, continuous, compassionate support contributes to more positive birth experiences, regardless of the clinical trajectory. (ACHI)

Your Rights Still Matter

Even with system pressures like staffing shortages, families retain the right to informed consent, to ask questions, and to advocate for their preferences. A doula can help hold space for those conversations in a way that keeps the birthing person’s needs at the centre.

If your planned place of birth has changed or may change, support is available. I offer doula care for South Surrey families navigating hospital diversions, with a free consultation to begin.