Labour and Delivery

The OYS Maternity Ward Reception also functions as an emergency clinic for pregnant women. If you have problems during your pregnancy, you can go to the emergency reception from the 22nd week onwards. The emergency clinic is open 24/7, every day of the year.

Before the end of pregnancy week 22, the primary treatment and assessment will take place at your own health centre. Outside office hours, contact the Oulu Region Joint Emergency Clinic.

You can go to the Emergency Clinic for Pregnant Women without a referral for instance with the following symptoms: 

• Decrease in fetal movements (if the criteria for the movement count are not met, see below ”Fetal Movement Count”)
• Painful contractions
• Bloody or watery vaginal discharge
• Symptoms suggestive of pre-eclampsia
• You have had an accident or fallen

 It is recommended to call the Maternity Ward Reception before arriving at the Emergency Clinic for Pregnant Women (see below for contact information). The midwife answering the phone will conduct an assessment of the need for care and, if necessary, give instructions for home care. In urgent cases, call 112 for an ambulance.

When arriving at the Emergency Clinic for Pregnant Women, clients will be assessed in the order of urgency. If necessary, a doctor will examine the pregnant woman and decide on her continued treatment. You can also come to the emergency clinic with a referral from, for instance, the child health clinic, in which case there is no need to call before you arrive at the Maternity Ward Reception.

Foetal Movement Count 

Foetuses move in an individual pattern. Normally there are rest periods of 20-40 minutes between the periods of movement, during which the foetus sleeps.

If worry arises about a decrease in foetal movements or lack of movement, the movements are counted as follows: The pregnant woman should rest on her side and count every movement she can feel over the course of one hour. If there are fewer than ten movements, the monitoring should be continued for another hour. In between, you can eat or drink something containing sugar and switch to the other side.

If the criteria for movement count are not met, the baby’s condition must be checked at the Maternity Ward. In this kind of situation, call the emergency number of the Maternity Ward Reception (see below for contact information) before going to the hospital.

Lower abdominal and lower back pain, contractions and bleeding 

 Signs of labour include pain in the lower back and/or lower abdomen, painful contractions, discharge of amniotic fluid or bleeding/mucous discharge. If you have any of these signs of labour before your pregnancy has reached full term or you have a lot of bleeding, contact your own maternity clinic and, during emergency hours, the OYS Emergency Clinic for Pregnant Women.

Slight bleeding may occur after intercourse or an internal examination. Heavy bleeding refers to a bright red discharge similar to menstrual bleeding. If heavy bleeding occurs and/or a painful long-term contraction that does not stop, you must go by ambulance to the hospital immediately. Wait for the ambulance to arrive lying on your side.

Contact information for the Maternity Ward Reception and Emergency Clinic of Pregnant Women:

 Visiting Address: 
OYS SN entrance, N4, 2nd floor
Kajaanintie 50, 90220 Oulu

 Telephone:
+358 8 315 3198

The call time is 7:00-21:00.

 Opening Hours: 
24 hours a day.