Mount Warrigal's Shannon Hall spent the morning labouring in the old birthing unit, before being transferred in the afternoon to the hospital's temporary birthing unit, prior to heading to theatre for an emergency Caesarean.

Yet she and partner Mitchell Nabbe had no complaints, telling the Mercury their midwife was "phenomenal", keeping them calm and comfortable throughout the process.

"I was a couple of days overdue," Ms Hall said. "I had planned to have a natural birth just using gas but needed an emergency C-section.

"But the staff were very helpful throughout and the temporary unit was fine."

Maternity operations manager Barb Atkins said the move enabled the major $2.2 million redevelopment of the old birthing unit to get underway.

"It's been more than 20 years since the facility was last refurbished, and it's very tired," she said.

"We've listened to community feedback and we know that women want a facility that's more aesthetically pleasing, more fresh and modern.

"They also want a unit that's more supportive of an active labour, and they wanted more opportunity to have water immersion during labour."

The redeveloped unit will include remodelled assessment areas and bathrooms, custom-made birthing baths, enhanced waiting areas and a colour scheme inspired by nature.

The work is expected to take six months, and all birthing mums will be accommodated in the temporary unit until then.

On the same level of the hospital as the existing birthing suites, the temporary space has been set up in a former intensive care unit.

There has been some concern from expectant mums about the interim unit - mainly due to the lack of private bathroom facilities.

Read more: Petition for improvements to Wollongong Hospital's temporary birthing unit

Ms Atkins said management had listened to feedback and worked hard to address concerns.

"We held community forums and ran tours and received a lot of positive feedback," she said.

"We're pleased we've been able to make changes where possible to ensure mums are comfortable in the temporary space.

"These include additional privacy screens, increased signage and adding a more homely feel."

Midwifery unit manager Karen Atkin said staff were committed to ensuring women had a positive birthing experience in the temporary unit. And they were excited about the transformation of the old unit.

"We're looking forward to having a modern new facility, that's less clinical and more homely," she said.

"The redesign will enable two of the rooms to have custom birth baths, which just wasn't possible with the old layout."

There's around 2800 births each year at Wollongong Hospital, and the birthing unit also has a vital role in assessing and treating expectant mums with pregnancy complications.

"We're thrilled that work is starting on the ward that will benefit mums and babies for years to come," Ms Atkins said.