UChicago Medicine (Chicago) [Midwife-Attended Birth]
Chicago, IL 60637
Moving in labor: Free movement is encouraged during labor, including the use of peanut balls, birthing balls, squatting bars, labor stools and more.
Hydrotherapy tubs: Two large natural birthing suites have warm water immersion tubs.
Aromatherapy: A variety of aromatic herbal sachets, tinctures and oils are available.
The Family Birth Center offers a range of labor and birth aids, including:
- Birthing balls (also called labor, pushing or yoga balls)
- Peanut balls
- Pushing and squatting bars
- Birth stools (also called squatting, birthing or labor stools)
- Mirrors
- Aromatherapy diffusers
- Rice socks
Natural childbirth: Women planning a natural childbirth will be supported with unmedicated pain management options and alternatives to epidural and spinal anesthesia. The midwives have extensive experience in hands-on support for natural labor pain management, including:
- Counter pressure
- Hip squeeze
- Pelvic presses
Staff are also trained in Spinning Babies ® techniques.
Epidurals: If you want or need epidural pain management, obstetric anesthesiologists offer epidural pain relief without loss of sensation or mobility.
Patient controlled epidural: The option of a patient-controlled epidural allows you to self-administer additional pain medication as you need it.
Doula is counted towards support person limit of 2 people.
Doula or partner allowed to accompany laboring woman for triage.
Doula or partner allowed in OR for C-section.
- All nursing staff are trained to provide breastfeeding support, so there is someone to help 24/7.
- A free breastfeeding class is offered for expectant parents
- You’ll have access to a team of lactation consultants during your hospital stay
- Baby Bistro, a free lactation support group, meets weekly.
The U of C midwives care for women whose pregnancies are lower risk.
For newborns requiring special care, a team of experts specializes in diagnostic techniques and treatments.
Doula can be registered by parents as authorized guest in NICU.
Sound machines are also available for white noise and soothing soundscapes.
A fridge and microwave in the common areas are available for use.
A fridge and microwave located in the common areas are available for your use on both the Labor & Delivery and Postpartum units.
Accepts Medicaid: Yes
See Insurance comments for details
Audio and video interpretation is available for virtually any language.
Outcomes
Overall C-Section Rate (Not Risk Adjusted) – 13.3%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
Primary C-Section Rate (Not Risk Adjusted) – 11.8%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
VBAC Rate (Not Risk Adjusted) – 34.1%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
Exclusive Breastfeeding Rate – 97.4%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
- Number of VBAC deliveries per year - 126
- Epidural Rate - 73
- Overall Induction Rate - 30
- Early Elective Deliveries - 2
- Episiotomy Rate - 1
The rates reported above for overall c-section, primary c-section, breastfeeding, epidural and overall induction are for women who begin labor attended by the University of Chicago Medicine midwives.
The midwives do not perform ceseareans. The overall c-section and primary c-section rates above reflect the number of mothers beginning labor attended by a midwife who ultimately have a c-section. These rates are not risk-adjusted and should not be directly compared to rates for other Chicago-area hospitals. However, their population is well-screened and the midwives are expert at supporting physiologic (natural) birth. If you qualify for care and begin your labor here, the likelihood that you will have a cesarean birth is quite low.
The remaining outcomes reported above are for all births at the University of Chicago’s Family Birth Center, including births attended by both midwives and doctors. The midwives care for lower risk patients and also tend to have lower rates of interventions.
Episiotomy: “With little evidence supporting its benefit as a birthing practice,” episiotomies are rarely performed. If you can safely deliver without an episiotomy, your preference not to have one will be supported.
Midwifery Care
At the University of Chicago Medicine Family Birth Center – Hyde Park, families have access to a wide range of birthing options in a safe hospital environment—guided by the personalized, expert care of certified nurse midwives who specialize in supporting and enhancing the childbirth experience.
Our certified nurse midwives are advanced practice nurses who specialize in prenatal care, labor and childbirth as well as postpartum and gynecologic wellness care. Nurse midwives’ expertise is rooted in a philosophy of care that prioritizes evidence-based practices and customizes each patient’s birth experience to their unique health needs and preferences. Numerous studies associate midwifery with highly favorable outcomes for patients giving birth and their babies.
Midwives specialize in supporting the body’s intuitive progression of labor with natural and low-intervention birthing practices. When necessary or preferred, nurse midwives believe in judicious use of intervention — meaning an appropriate level of intervention at an appropriate time. Whether your experience is higher or lower on the spectrum of intervention, nurse midwives offer expertise in evidence-based practices to optimize the outcome for you and your baby.
In addition to offering an intricate understanding of prenatal care and how the body gives birth and heals, midwives provide a combination of medical guidance and interpersonal support.
Nurse midwives can help you to:
- Understand and articulate your preferences for how you experience your child’s birth
- Set — and if necessary, adjust or reset — realistic personal expectations for childbirth
- Understand traditional and alternative birthing options, offering recommendations to accommodate your personal needs and preferences
- Learn about evidence-based natural and low-intervention pain management and labor support options, if you choose
- Understand and decide when it may be time to consider alternative pain management or birthing options
Your midwife supports your birth, your way. At the Family Birth Center, there is no standard childbirth experience. Each experience is unique. And, that’s a good thing because each patient, baby, and family is unique.
Our nurse midwives commit to supporting a gratifying customized childbirth experience for every patient and family — even if it deviates from initial expectations. After all, there is no one perfect way to have a baby. By listening first, midwives learn how to help you optimize your way. Learn more in a Meet the Midwife tour at our Family Birth Center – Hyde Park location.
Support for Natural Birth
The Family Birth Center offers you a customized natural birth experience in a safe hospital setting.
When you’re in labor, our team can coach you through healthy exercises using special equipment, which may include peanut balls, birthing balls, squatting bars, labor stools and more. We encourage movement as one of many options to enhance comfort during labor and to help your delivery progress.
We offer natural, unmedicated labor pain management options, including warm water immersion therapy (hydrotherapy) in our birthing tubs at our Family Birth Center – Hyde Park location. Our new natural birthing suites are equipped with built-in warm water immersion therapy (hydrotherapy) tubs. For women who are in active labor, hydrotherapy can offer pain relief and other benefits prior to delivery. Particularly recommended for prolonged, obstructed labors with low risk, the advantages of warm water immersion may include:
- Soothing labor pain
- Softening the perineum, which may reduce the chance of episiotomy
- Lowering blood pressure
- Increasing blood circulation, allowing more oxygen in the womb
- Enhancing comfort and flexibility in positioning
- Mental and physical relaxation
Our midwives can also support you through pain management exercises based on focus and distraction techniques, including:
- Breathing
- Relaxation
- Visualization
- Vocalization
Labor & Delivery Suites
Labor and Birth Aids: The Family Birth Center – Hyde Park is stocked with a range of labor and birth aids, including:
- Birthing balls (also called labor, pushing or yoga balls)
- Peanut balls
- Pushing and squatting bars
- Birth stools (also called squatting, birthing or labor stools)
- Mirrors
Warm Water Immersion Therapy (Hydrotherapy Tubs): Our natural birthing suites are equipped with built-in warm water immersion therapy (hydrotherapy) tubs. During active labor, hydrotherapy can offer pain relief and other benefits prior to delivery. The water is kept at a controlled temperature to avoid dehydration.
The advantages of warm water immersion may include:
- Soothing labor pain
- Softening the perineum, which may reduce the chance of episiotomy
- Lowering blood pressure
- Increasing blood circulation, allowing more oxygen in the womb
- Enhancing comfort and flexibility in positioning
- Mental and physical relaxation
‘Gentle’ C-Sections
A C-section does involve surgery, but we understand that your experience is far more than an operation. At the Family Birth Center, our experts perform “gentle” cesareans that support an inclusive delivery and bonding experience for you and your family.
In most cases, we allow one family member or guest to accompany you in the operating room. With a gentle C-section, sometimes called a “family-centered” or “natural” cesarean, you have choices that traditionally have only been offered with vaginal births.
During a gentle C-section experience, we encourage you to see, hold, feed and start bonding with your newborn right away.
Whenever possible:
- Immediate skin-to-skin bonding is supported and encouraged with cesarean and vaginal deliveries.
- Your blood pressure cuff and any other monitoring devices are placed on one arm, leaving your other arm free to hold your baby.
- You can breastfeed after cesarean delivery.
State-of-the-Art Surgical Suites and NICU
At the Family Birth Center – Hyde Park, our team manages even the most complex births with confidence and expertise. If a cesarean delivery (C-section) is the best option for you and your baby, our surgical suites are fully equipped to provide a safe, supportive environment to personalize your birth experience. Additionally, our location inside Comer Children’s Hospital enables streamlined transfers to our Level IV NICU for newborns who need specialized care due to illness or premature birth.
Visitor Accommodations
Each private suite is equipped with a convertible sleeping cot for overnight visitors. With a maximum of three visitors at a time allowed in your suite, our Family Waiting Room is available to accommodate additional guests.
We are a Baby-Friendly USA designated hospital
The Family Birth Center – Hyde Park is internationally recognized as a birth facility that offers extensive support for breastfeeding parents and babies. With us, your entire care team is specially trained to help you and your newborn get a healthy start to breastfeeding. Our entire care team is fully equipped with training and resources to offer extensive support for breastfeeding moms and babies, including:
- Our breastfeeding class for expectant parents
- Access to our expert team of lactation consultants during your hospital stay
- Baby Bistro, our free weekly lactation support group
Click here to see Insurance Accepted.
The midwives care for women experiencing lower-risk pregnancies. Guidelines are generally flexible and the midwives can accept women with certain risk factors into their care. However, you will be referred to the collaborating doctors if you have certain risk factors, including:
- insulin dependent diabetes
- chronic hypertension on medication
- BMI > 45
The free Family Birth Center tour includes the Family Birth Center and Mother and Baby Care (postpartum) suites.
Space is limited to a maximum of 16 attendees. Each attendee must register individually. Tours are limited to the expectant mother and one additional support person. The tour meets in the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital lobby at 5721 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL.
You can see upcoming tour dates here.
You can also see a virtual tour of the Family Birth Center using the link below.
Nurse educators lead prenatal classes for expectant parents and families. Several of classes are free.
Registration is required to attend a class. See the list of course options here.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The content on BirthGuide does not provide medical advice. Always consult a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment....
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The content on BirthGuide does not provide medical advice. Always consult a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment. The Complementary Care Directory is a paid membership directory. Members provide the information in their listings, which is not vetted by BirthGuide. The listing of an individual or entity in this directory does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by BirthGuide. By using this directory you agree to be bound by the BirthGuide Terms & Conditions of Use. If you do not wish to be bound by these terms and conditions, please do not access the directory.
VBAC options: At the Family Birth Center, vaginal delivery is the goal whenever possible. Trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) may be an option if you’ve had one or two prior c-sections.
C-section: The midwives do not perform c-sections. If a Cesarean delivery becomes necessary, the surgical team is available to care for you 24/7. Your midwife will stay with you during an operative delivery.
Gentle C-Sections: In most cases, one family member or guest can accompany you in the operating room. Whenever possible, immediate skin-to-skin bonding is encouraged. Your blood pressure cuff and any other monitoring devices will be placed on one arm, leaving your other arm free to hold your baby and you will be able to breastfeed in the operating room. You have the option of choosing a clear drape so that you can see your baby being born. You have the option of choosing a clear drape so that you can see your baby being born.