Having a baby in Langley: pregnancy to the first birthday

Congratulations. Here’s the order things tend to happen in, from the first positive test to the first birthday, with the Langley phone numbers for each step.

1. Early pregnancy: find your care

A family doctor team. The Langley Maternity Clinic is a group of family physicians who look after you from pregnancy through labour, delivery and the first week after. You need a referral from a family doctor or nurse practitioner. No doctor? A walk-in clinic can refer you. Fill in the clinic’s prenatal questionnaire and bring it to your first appointment. If you need an obstetrician or another specialist, the clinic’s doctors arrange it. The clinic is open weekdays, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.

Or a midwife. Registered midwives look after you from early pregnancy through the birth and up to six weeks after. MSP covers it for eligible BC residents, as long as the midwife is enrolled with MSP.

Register with Best Beginnings early. Fraser Health asks you to sign up at bestbeginnings.fraserhealth.ca at your first prenatal contact. It connects you with public health and lets the hospital know your due date. Fraser Health also links free pregnancy and first-year text-message programs (your normal phone charges apply).

Still looking for a family doctor for after the baby? Our family doctor guide explains the Health Connect Registry.

2. Getting ready for the birth

Langley Memorial Hospital runs online maternity tours in English, Punjabi and Mandarin. The labour, delivery and postpartum rooms on 3 North are private, each with a tub and shower.

Two things to sort out ahead of time:

• The car seat. The hospital asks you to learn how your infant seat works before you come in, and to bring it up to the unit when you go home.
• Parking. It’s pay parking. In the main lot (1517) the first hour is $3.50, the day is $10.25 and 24 hours is $15.25 (rates checked October 25, 2026).

Baby’s Best Chance, the province’s free handbook, covers pregnancy, birth and the first six months. The 2024 edition is the current one.

3. Labour

Call the maternity unit at 604-514-6034 and talk to a nurse before you come in. More on the hospital, the emergency department and getting there is on our Langley Memorial Hospital page.

4. The first weeks home

• A call from public health within 24 to 48 hours of leaving hospital.
• A doctor or midwife visit within seven days of getting home.
• Feeding help. Public health nurses help with positioning and latch until your baby is six weeks old; book through the health unit. Fraser Health lists breastfeeding and chestfeeding support through public health seven days a week.
• Hearing screening. Every baby born in BC is offered a hearing screen, in hospital or at a public health appointment.
• Sleep. HealthLink BC’s safer-sleep advice: on their back for every sleep, on a firm mattress, with no pillows or toys.

The Langley Public Health Unit covers prenatal support, newborn care, parenting help and referrals for development screening, for families with babies and toddlers up to two. It’s open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and weekends and holidays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you’re struggling. Pacific Post Partum Support Society takes calls and texts from pregnant people, parents of children under three, and the people supporting them. No referral needed. Call or text 604-255-7999, or call 1-855-255-7999, weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (not statutory holidays). Any time of day or night, 8-1-1 connects you to a registered nurse.

5. Paperwork

• Register the birth within 30 days. BC’s online birth registration lets you apply for your baby’s MSP, Social Insurance Number and Canada Child Benefits at the same time, depending on eligibility for each.
• The Personal Health Number isn’t the same as MSP. Getting a PHN doesn’t finish your baby’s MSP enrolment, so make sure you complete that step.
• EI maternity and parental benefits. Eligible parents can get up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits. Standard parental benefits give up to 40 weeks shared between parents (35 max for one parent); extended gives up to 69 weeks shared (61 max for one). Most employees need 600 insured hours in the qualifying period. Service Canada says to apply as soon as you stop working.

For where to do each kind of government paperwork in person, see government paperwork in Langley.

6. Shots and check-ups

Routine childhood vaccines are free. Babies have shots at two, four, six and twelve months. Book Langley public health immunization appointments at 604-476-7087, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Around six months, HealthLink BC’s Baby’s first foods covers when your baby’s ready for solids, iron-rich foods and safe preparation. HealthLink’s dietitians (through 8-1-1) answer infant-feeding questions weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

7. Getting out of the house

• Family Place. Langley Community Services Society runs free drop-in Family Place programs for children up to six and their caregivers, with early childhood educators who can point you to other help. Family Place South is at the LCSS main site, 5339 207 Street. Family Place North is in the Heritage School House at 20766 80 Avenue, at the southeast corner of the school parking lot. The posted hours differ between LCSS pages, so check the current monthly calendar or call 604-534-7921. Infant groups have included Snuggle Bugs, a Breastfeeding Café and Parent-Child Mother Goose.
• Babytime at the library. The City of Langley Library runs drop-in Babytime for babies 23 months and under with a caregiver. Dates are on the FVRL events calendar. See our library guide.
• StrongStart. Langley School District’s StrongStart centres are free for children from birth to five, with a parent or caregiver taking part.
• For newcomer families. LCSS’s Best Baby program supports eligible newcomer parents from pregnancy to 18 months: newborn care, nutrition, sleep and development. Eligibility depends on immigration status. More in our new to Canada guide.

8. If you’re worried about development

Inclusion Langley’s Infant Development Program offers home visits for children from birth to three who have, or may be at risk of, a developmental delay. Parents can contact it directly or use its online referral form. Its Aboriginal Infant Development Program serves Indigenous children from birth to three. More in our disability supports guide.

9. Childcare

When you’re thinking about going back to work, LCSS’s Child Care Resource and Referral (604-533-4425) offers free consultations, lists of providers near you and help applying for the Affordable Child Care Benefit. Our preschool and childcare guide has more.

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