OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center (Evergreen Park) [Doctor-Attended Birth]

“At Little Company of Mary Hospital (LCMH), you will find a compassionate environment focused on family-centered maternity care philosophies, with the latest medical technology to provide only the best for you and your baby.”

You can watch a video about LCMH services here.

“Known as the “Baby Hospital,” LCMH has helped welcome more than 200,000 babies to the world since our doors opened in 1930. Our caring and skilled nurses have more than 600 years of combined experience and were named Best Nursing Team by Advance for Nurses Magazine. Plus, our beautifully renovated labor, delivery and recovery suites provide homelike surroundings to create a special, safe and soothing experience as you welcome your new child into your family. We encourage women to choose whatever birthing method option they’re comfortable with.”

Family-centered care: “Your baby will be born in the comfort of one of our labor and delivery suites. Following delivery, you’ll have a private recovery suite for quiet recuperation and for sharing precious first moments with your newborn and family. We appreciate the important role of fathers, siblings and grandparents in the childbirth experience. And, because we believe strongly in the mother/baby bond, we encourage each mother to spend the first hour with her baby before any tests are performed. We support this bonding further by advocating you and your child room together throughout your entire stay with the nurse caring for you and your baby, if you so choose.”

Skin-to-skin contact: “We support skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible after birth. Skin-to-skin means your baby is placed belly-down, directly on your chest, right after your baby is born. At birth, your baby will be dried, capped, and a warm blanket will cover both of you as your baby is placed unwrapped on your chest. You will be allowed time with your baby to cuddle and breastfeed. This time is very special for both of you – it’s the best way to begin! Skin-to-skin contact is encouraged throughout the hospital stay for every mother and baby as it allows you and your baby to get to know each other and provides important health benefits.”

Delayed testing & rooming in: “Because we believe strongly in the mother/baby bond, we encourage each mother to spend the first hour with her baby before any tests are performed. We support this bonding further by advocating you and your child room together throughout your entire stay with the nurse caring for you and your baby, if you so choose.”

Great Expectations Nurse Program: “Every mom who chooses to deliver her baby at The Family Birth Center may participate in our unique program, which partners one of our highly skilled and trained nurses with a mom for the duration of her pregnancy. By maintaining a relationship with a nurse from early pregnancy through delivery, parents and family members can design the birth experience that best meets their wishes and needs. Through regular conversations, tours and visits, your nurse will provide you with advice, options and answers to all those normal questions and concerns that arise during pregnancy.”

Baby-Friendly Hospital: “Little Company of Mary Hospital (LCMH) is the third Baby-Friendly hospital and birth center in the state of Illinois and was the first hospital in the Chicagoland area to achieve this designation.”

Maternal Fetal Medicine: “If you are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or develop any complications, you can receive the services and benefits of Little Company of Mary’s Maternal Fetal Medicine program – including access to the most sophisticated prenatal diagnostic services. Our ultrasound technology is conveniently located in The Family Birth Center, with flexible appointment hours. All of these services are provided under the direction of highly respected maternal fetal medicine specialists. Little Company of Mary technicians are both skilled and compassionate, with the ultimate goal of making each patient feel comfortable throughout her ultrasound experience. Reports are faxed to your physician the same day of the test.”

Special care: “Our team is well-equipped to provide expert care for both routine and high-risk pregnancies. Infants who require special attention following birth are cared for with the latest technology in our special care nursery. This Level IIe nursery has extended capabilities and is a member of the premier University of Chicago Hospital Perinatal Network. In addition, more than five neonatal specialists are available 24 hours a day to give these infants the treatment and attention they deserve.”

Having Your Baby Tour: Guided tour includes: Labor & Delivery, Post Partum Rooms, Special Care Nursery, Family Waiting Area, Special Care Unit, & Rooftop Garden. Call (708) 423-5774 to schedule a walking tour.

Little Company of Mary Hospital offers a range of classes for expectant parents, including classes on baby care, breastfeeding, childbirth preparation, and prenatal yoga.

You can see a complete schedule of upcoming classes here.

• Baby-Friendly Hospital designation. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program that was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 1991 to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding.
• Stellar mPINC score: mPINC is a national survey sent out by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to track the progress of hospitals and birthing centers regarding optimal feeding practices and mother-baby care during the maternity stay. Little Company of Mary’s Family Birth Center ranks above mPINC national average, with a score of 93 out of 100 while other Illinois hospitals averaged 77 and the national average mPINC score was 75.  LCMH scored 100 on the following four out of seven categories: Labor and Delivery care, Breastfeeding Assistance, Postpartum Contact between mother and infant, and Structural and Organizational aspects of care delivery.