This timeline includes some of the significant events in the history of women’s and maternal health.
1881 (3 Jan) – Female admitted to Winnipeg General Hospital (WGH) for ‘accouchement’ (the process of giving birth to a baby)
1883 – Woman admitted for ‘pregnancy’ and discharged as “cured”
1883 – Christian Women’s Union opens a house on Bannatyne and McDermot to be used as a maternity hospital for “unfortunate girls, poor married women, and rural patients who might come to the city to secure good medical attention”
1883 (Dec) – the WGH Board moved not to accept any more “lying-in” (bed rest after birth, ranging in longevity from between two weeks to two months) cases since a Maternity Home had opened in the city
1895 (13 Sept) – First Caesarean section performed at WGH (by Dr. Andrew McDiarmid and Dr. J. S. Gray, patient was Mrs. William Gordon)
1888 – Christian Women’s Union Maternity Hospital closes, and asks WGH to take over responsibility for patients
1888 – Maternity facility at WGH opens, with opposition from some doctors
1892 – 81 patients admitted to Maternity with 73 confinements
1898 – Misericordia Hospital provides maternity services
1904 – Grace Hospital provides maternity services
1911 – Maternity Building closes for five months, possibly due to an outbreak of scarlett fever in the city
1911 – Maternity building torn down to make room for new Nurses’ Home; Maternity Hospital moves into the Annex Nurses’ Home
1912 – Victoria Hospital provides maternity services
1913 – WGH East and West Wing additions opened. Maternity wards opened on West 4 and West 5
1913 – Gynecology clinic held twice a week in out-Patient Department
1916 – St. Boniface Hospital Maternity Wing opens
1917 – Pediatric Clinic opens
1919 – Venereal Disease clinic opens
1920 – Prenatal Clinic opens
1923 – The Department of Obstetrics enlarged; Dr. F.G. McGuinness and Dr. W.F. Abbott appointed Clinical Assistants in Obstetrics
1924 – 16-bed North Arm is reserved for venereal diseases in Women
1926 – Postnatal Clinic opens under the Social Service Department
1928 – Concordia Hospital provides maternity services
1931 – Over 1,000 births were recorded at WGH, the first time this milestone was reached
1932 – Dr. O. Bjornson, Obstetrician retires as Professor of Obstetrics and Dr. R.B. Mitchell appointed
1935 – Dr. Elinor Black appointed Assistant Obstetrician and Dr. Blake Watson, Assistant Gynecologist
1936 – An attractive Maternity Annex, with accommodation for four patients, nursery and service room, is created by closing in the open W4 Balcony
1938 – Manitoba selected by Canadian Medical Association as the district for a two-year Pregnancy Survey
1941 – Alteration of two public ward rooms on West 4 and acquisition of space on “G” flat provides ten additional semi-private beds and two public ward beds for the Obstetrical Department
1941 – Dr. Ross Mitchell resigned as Obstetrician and Dr. F.G. McGuinness was appointed
1944 – Winnipeg Rh Laboratory was established in Children’s Hospital
1945 – Special Committee appointed for the planning and development of a modern maternity pavilion at Winnipeg General Hospital, dedicated to the Mothers of Manitoba
1946 – Foundation of the Maternity Pavilion completed; excavations for new Maternity Pavilion began in autumn, with 72 reinforced concrete piles driven down to hard-pan at a cost of $34,167.00
1947 – A Newborn Service – predecessor to Neonatology – is established under the direction of the Pediatrician and the Pediatric Staff
1947 – Cervical cancer detection begins at Winnipeg General Hospital
1947 – Request from the City of Winnipeg that all doctors be given equal opportunity to send patients to the new Maternity unit regardless of race, creed, religion, or association of doctor
1948 – Contract for the new Maternity Pavilion is awarded to Bird Construction Company Limited, with work commencing in the last week of June; by the end of the year the steel and concrete structure was completed and four of the five storeys had been bricked in
1949 – Outbreak of Hemolytic steaphloccus aureus in maternity wards of most Greater Winnipeg hospitals emphasizes need for the new, separate, maternity building
1950 (January) – Volunteers solicit contributions from citizens, businesses, and industrial firms to equip Maternity Pavilion with latest technology in patient care, linens, and furniture
1950 (26 April) – Maternity Pavilion opens at 700 Notre Dame, officiated by Mr. John T. Boyd
1950 (6 May) – First patient admitted ahead of schedule amid influx of patients from St. Boniface General Hospital to WGH due to flood-related closures, necessitating immediate transfer of patients from WGH maternity wards to Maternity Building; transfers began at 2:00 pm and were completed by 4:00 pm, with the first meal arriving at 5:00 pm
1950 (6 May) – First baby born at 2:57 pm, daughter to Mrs. Walter Goosen (Also spelled Goossen and Gossin) who had been evacuated from Morris hospital due to spring flooding; in total three babies were born on first day of operation
1950 – Only two floors of Maternity Pavilion are open due to nursing shortage
1950 – First set of twins, the 453rd birth, were Sharon Roslyn and Larry Bruce Decter
1950 – Transfer of full-term and premature infants from old Maternity wing to Pavilion
1951 – White Cross Guild donated 100 copper vases to Maternity Pavilion
1951 – Dr. McGuinness, Obstetrics-Gynecology – a staunch advocate for a separate Maternity Pavilion – resigned due to his age
1951 (18 Jan) – West 5, a former maternity ward, re-opens for women’s surgery
1952 – X-ray unit operates in Maternity Pavilion for chest x-rays and obstetrical roentgenology (radiology)
1953 – Half of the third floor opens; lack of space for other services such as locker rooms and record offices
1953 – Cytology exams begin
1954 – Goodwin Shovels (vaginal retractors) developed at WGH
1956 – Rh Lab moves from Children’s Hospital to the Maternity Pavilion
1956 – 5th floor of Maternity Pavilion is converted from student residence to semi-private wards for gynecological patients
1957 (1 April) – Maternity Pavilion becomes Women’s Pavilion to reflect expanding functions and services in the area of women’s health
1957 (April) – Gynecology operating room established on 4th floor Women’s Pavilion
1957 – Infective Ward on West 1 opens
1959 – Gynecological services double with opening of Ward S5, and a second operating room opens
1959 – Women’s Pavilion is fully operational, and is already over capacity
1960 (4 March) – Tunnel joins the Maternity Pavilion to the rest of the WGH complex
1960 – Premature Nursery relocated to the first floor of the Pavilion; Intensive Care Nursery is ready, waiting for staff
1960 – Gynecology Clinics now held in the Out-Patient Department of the Pavilion
1961 – School of Nursing begins concurrent teaching program in Obstetrics
1961 – Kitchen and dining room in Women’s Pavilion is closed; a small cafeteria remains in operation
1961 – A tocodynamometer (measures frequency and duration of uterine contractions) and a Birtheeze (air-tight compression chamber to relieve pain) have been added to the Labour floor
1962 – Patients are now discharged on the fifth post-partum day due to nursing shortages
1963 – Gynecology Ward placed under 24-hour supervision to improve continuity of care for patients
1963 – Miss K.M. Clarke becomes Administrative Assistant in charge of Obstetrics and Gynecology wards
1964 (Jan) – First fetal (intrauterine) blood transfusion in North America
1964 – Dr. T.M. Roulston became the first full-time head of newly established Obstetrics and Gynecology Department
1964 – P.K.U. heel test instituted
1964 – Dr. Elinor Black retires, but continued to teach clinics until her death in January 1982
1965 – Revision to the School of Nursing program in Obstetrical Nursing to include more emphasis on adolescent mothers, unwed teenage mothers, dental care, grief and community health services
1965 – Family Planning Clinic, established by Dr. T.M. Roulston, opens
1965 – Clinic for abnormal prenatal cases opens
1965 – Beds on S1 converted to minor gynecology cases and isolation wards, to be used for Obstetric overflow if necessary
1966 – Ultrasound services begin
1967 – T-1 Nursery space expanded for intensive care of infants; Infant Tracheotomy Trays initiated, Intra-Uterine Trays increased, Infant Resuscitation Trays increased
1967 – City and provincial health nurses meet with the Head Nurse and Supervisors regarding care of patients after discharge from the Pavilion
1967 – Obstetrical Nursing course places emphasis on the family-centred approach to child bearing, family planning, growth and development of the infant; student nurses care for same mother and child before, during, and after birth
1967 – Reading and Study room, and two classrooms for students, interns, and residents is constructed in the basement
1968 – Opening of a prenatal clinic for unwed mothers
1968 –Winnipeg growth chart for intra-uterine weight is developed
1968 – First department in Canada to introduce complete testing for sexually transmitted diseases for all prenatal patients
1969 – Monitoring infants in utero begins; Fetal-Maternal Monitoring Unit pilot project is underway
1969 – ‘High-risk’ prenatal clinic continues to grow
1969 – Colposcopy clinic opens
1969 – Clinical Investigation Unit opens
1970 – Changes in the Criminal code regarding therapeutic abortions and sterilizations; Winnipeg General Hospital bears the major share of these procedures, and therapeutic abortions increased significantly
1971 – “Rooming-in” and relaxed clothing for infants allowed; switch to commercially prepared formula
1972 – Agreement is reached with Federal Government to upgrade midwives and nurses for Northern nursing stations, and in Winnipeg hospitals
1972 – Caesarean section room staffed by operating room personnel
1972 – Neonatal Intensive Care officially begins with dedicated Intensive Care Nursery
1973 – Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg was established by the Government of Manitoba; Women’s Pavilion became Women’s Centre
1973 – Winnipeg Police Union donates newborn intensive care equipment to Women’s Centre
1976 – Women’s Centre first to have a maternity anesthetist available 24 hours a day
1979 – Women’s Centre became Women’s Hospital
1979 – Dr. Frank Manning helps to develop Biophysical Profile Score
1980 – Fetal Assessment Program set up by Dr. Frank Manning
1981 – Neonatal Transport Unit launches, serving an 80 mile radius around Winnipeg
1981 – Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program founded by Dr. Garry Krepart
1981 – Fetal Assessment Unit undertakes a unique screening program for potentially high-risk pregnant women
1981 – Breast Screening Centre established
1982 – Labour and Delivery suites renovated
1985 – 35th Anniversary of Women’s Hospital
1985 – Antenatal Home Care Program established
1986 – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit opens
1986 – Neonatal Transport Unit gets air ambulance
1987 – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit opens
1988 – Dave Branton and Bob Neufeld are the only male nurses employed in a labour and delivery unit in Canada at HSC
1989 – Neonatal Transport Unit supports communities throughout Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and Nunavut
1991 – Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative launched through UNICEF to support breastfeeding
1991 – Intermediate Care Nursery opens
1991 – Kangaroo Care (where mother and baby rest skin-to-skin) begins
1993 – Mature Women’s Program created as a joint initiative of the Women’s Hospital Ambulatory Care Department and Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
1997 – Women’s Units at the Misericordia Hospital (1 April 1997) and Grace Hospital (1 November 1997) close
1998 – Midwifery Education Program upgrades start (end in 2001)
1998 – Breastfeeding Service is developed by Kathy Hamelin
2000 (April) – HSC becomes an operating division of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
2000 (September) – Women’s Family Birthplace opens
2002 – Patient Care computers installed at Women’s Hospital, making administration more efficient and allowing more time for patient care
2004 – Bringing Babies and Books Together program starts by distributing Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever to babies born 27 January
2005 – Neonatal Family Support Program/Veteran Parent Program launches
2005 – Intermediate Care Nursery expanded to a third area in the Thorlakson Building in order to accommodate the growing number of babies requiring supportive care
2005 – Breastfeeding resource room available for all students and staff
2006 – Mature Women’s Centre moved to Victoria General Hospital
2007 – HSC Women’s Hospital Redevelopment Project announced
2008 – New I.D. armbands in use on maternity wards
2008 – Province announces $1 million in new supports for maternal and child health services province-wide, including the new Women’s Hospital
2008 – New HSC Women’s Hospital to be located on the former Weston Bakeries site at the corner of Elgin Avenue and Sherbrook Street, with direct connection to HSC Children’s Hospital
2009 – Breastmilk Banking Program established – the first in Manitoba
2010 (March) – Deconstruction begins at site of new HSC Women’s Hospital
2010 (May) – Women’s Hospital at 700 Notre Dame celebrates their 60th birthday
2011 (June) – Groundbreaking for the new HSC Women’s Hospital
2011 – Prenatal Connections program in development
2012 – Partners in Inner-City Integrated Prenatal Care Project begins
2013 – Women’s Surgical Unit transitions to a new system of surgical sterilization in preparation for the new building
2013 – Official Project Kick-Off events celebrate progress of new hospital with tours; staff and stakeholders explore three built-to-scale patient rooms (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Labour/Delivery/ Recovery, and inpatient rooms)
2014 – New HSC Women’s Hospital set to have private patient rooms, and multiple decentralized care stations
2015 – Mothers/Methadone program begins
2016 – Breast Milk Donation Drop site opens in Winnipeg at the Birth Centre; Manitoba mothers can donate their milk for use in NICU at HSC and St. Boniface
2016 – New labour and delivery model of care instituted at Women’s Hospital in preparation for the new HSC Women’s Hospital
2017 – Electronic Patient Record use in Women’s Hospital expands, in preparation for the new HSC Women’s Hospital
2019 – HSC receives additional funding from WRHA for nursing staff due to high demand for obstetrical services
HSC Archives/Museum 