Maternity Care

The Rocky Maternity Program is a group of Physicians and a Registered Nurse who provide prenatal care to women in Rocky Mountain House. There are two options for care in the Rocky Maternity Program. Please feel free to discuss the options with the Maternity Care Nurse or your doctor in order to choose the care that is best for you.

Maternity Care Nurse & Physician

The Rocky Maternity Program employs an RN, with extra education in prenatal care, who will be fully involved in your care. The nurse will see you before each doctor’s appointment, and will provide some of your care and answer any questions that you may have. You will then have your prenatal visit with your physician. The nurse is able to support women through education and referral about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and baby care. This service is strongly recommended for first time mothers or women with special needs.

Appointments can be made for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays through the Rocky Medical Clinic.

Midwifery Care

Prenatal care by the midwife is available for women living on a First Nation Reserve, on Tuesdays, at the O’Chiese, Bighorn and Sunchild Healthcare Centers. Appointments can be made by contacting the nurse at the Healthcare Centers.

Traditional Care with Your Physician

If appointments with the Maternity Care Nurse and physician don’t fit your schedule or your needs, you may still book regular prenatal appointments with your physician whenever he/she is available.

Prenatal Appointments

During your pregnancy you will need to attend approximately 12 prenatal appointments at our clinic. Your first visit includes a complete physical exam and lab work.

Subsequent visits are monthly until 28-30 weeks, every second week until 36 weeks and then weekly until you deliver.

At each visit you will have measurements of your weight, blood pressure, fetal heart rate, and size of your uterus. We will also ensure that all your referrals and education needs are coordinated within your prenatal care.

Your spouse and/or children are welcome to attend your prenatal appointment.

Labor and Delivery

When you go into labor, your doctor or midwife will make every effort to be there. In the event that he or she cannot be there, there will be a doctor/midwife on call who will attend your birth. All births through the Rocky Maternity Program occur at the Rocky Mountain House Hospital.

Prenatal Education

We recommend that all first-time parents attend prenatal education classes and we can provide you with the names of some of those programs. Please discuss this with the nurse.

As a group of dedicated professionals we want to ensure that our knowledge, skills and experience in the field of maternity care achieve our goal:

A safe pregnancy and a healthy Mom and Baby.

Physicians available for prenatal care:

Dr. Carike Dowling Dr. Dewet Dowling