UI Health (Chicago) [Midwife-Attended Birth]
Chicago, IL 60612
The labor and delivery unit offers several large tubs where you can labor in water.
Approaches to pain management include birthing balls, squatting bars, birth stools, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, massage, and music. Other options include pain medications, intravenous fluids, and epidural anesthesia, which are readily available if needed.
You are allowed 2 support people in labor, not including your doula. Your doula is considered part of the care team and can be with you in addition to your 2 support people.
Lactation consultants: International Board Certified Lactation Consultants provide lactation consultation, education, and support. To help you meet your breastfeeding goals, lactation consultation via telephone is also available before and after birth.
Breastfeeding class: Prenatal childbirth classes include a breastfeeding class, and UI Health Family Birth Place also hosts a weekly breastfeeding club where you can get help with breastfeeding and weigh your baby.
The UI Health midwives care for women experiencing lower-risk pregnancies, but resources and expertise are available to help if you or your baby requires special care.
Obstetrical Emergency Room (OBER) Unit: A specialized OB Emergency Room (OBER) offers urgent or emergent care for complications related to pregnancy. The OBER is staffed with providers, nurses, and support staff 24 hours a day, giving you direct access to maternity-focused care when you need it.
High-Risk Obstetrical Unit: The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Team provides comprehensive high risk antepartum (before delivery) care for expectant mothers. High risk OB rooms are single occupancy. UI Health OB nurses are specially trained to care for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): UI Health and Children’s Hospital University of Illinois provide the highest level of neonatal care available, with 24-hour in-hospital care by neonatologists who are supported by subspecialists from the Children’s Hospital.
Many of the rooms in the Mother/Baby Unit at UI Health, have recently undergone renovation. Some (but not all) of the postpartum rooms are private.
The postpartum rooms on the Mother/Baby Unit offer:
- Quiet rooms separate from Labor & Delivery
- Cable TV
- Mini-fridge
- Photography service for you and your newborn
- Convertible bed so your partner can remain in the room with you and your baby
Accepts Medicaid: Yes
See Insurance comments for details
UI Health’s Language Support Services provide immediate access to over 200 languages including American Sign Language (ASL), in addition to the following services:
- In house interpretation (Spanish and Polish)
- Telephonic Interpreters by calling 6-LANG (6-5264)
- Video Remote Interpreters (VRI) or using the Audio Remote Interpreter (VRI)
- Onsite agency Healthcare Interpreters (for the languages that are not available in-house)
Outcomes
Overall C-Section Rate (Risk Adjusted) – 25.9%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
Primary C-Section Rate (Risk Adjusted) – 16.8%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
VBAC Rate (Risk adjusted ) – 30.6%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
Exclusive Breastfeeding Rate – 25.4%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
- Number of VBAC deliveries per year - 86
- Epidural Rate -
- Overall Induction Rate -
- Early Elective Deliveries - 4
- Episiotomy Rate - 1
The outcomes reported above are for all deliveries at the hospital, including births attended both by doctors and by midwives. Midwives care for lower-risk women and also tend to have lower rates of interventions.
“The Family Birth Place is focused on providing personalized care for mothers-to-be and their families during their pregnancy and on their delivery day.”
“Our nurse midwives: The nurse-midwives at UI Health work in partnership with obstetricians, Maternal Fetal Medicine physicians, and other specialists. Our nurse midwives collaborate with your team of women’s health providers to manage your care from routine care like pap-smears to more comprehensive pregnancy and post-natal related care. Nurse midwives are also able to refer patients as needed or upon request.
It’s important to consider all options for your birthing needs and desires. UI Health’s nurse midwives listen, consult, and share in your decision-making toward determining what type of care is best.
Request an Appointment
Center for Women’s Health, call 312.996.2000.
Auburn Gresham, call 312.492.1220.
Why Consider a Nurse Midwife?: Reasons a patient may consider a nurse midwife for their healthcare needs:
- Personalized care: Nurse-midwives offer individualized care that is tailored to the patient’s personal needs and goals. Nurse-midwives, a holistic approach to healthcare.
- Lower medical/surgical intervention rates: Studies show that midwife-led care is associated with lower rates of c-sections, episiotomies, and use of pain medications.
- Primary Focus on natural birth: Nurse-midwives are trained and specialized to support physiological childbirth.
- Continuity of care: Nurse-midwives care for patients throughout their entire pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. This can lead to better outcomes for both the mother and baby.
- Collaboration with physicians: Nurse-midwives work alongside physicians and provide services both in the hospital and in our clinics.
“What makes the care we provide so exceptional?
- Prenatal education
- 24-hour in-house OB physicians, midwives, and specialized OB anesthesiologists
- Nurses specialized in OB patient care
- Secured units to optimize mother and baby safety
- Highest level of intensive care for babies born premature
- Birthing support options to maximize comfort while in labor
- 24/7 breastfeeding services
- Providers and follow up care arranged for mother and baby prior to discharge from hospital”
Labor support & pain management: “Our team’s expertise in labor support techniques can help to improve comfort and decrease pain as you go through labor. Here at the Family Birth Place, we offer ways to ease your labor including birthing balls, squatting bars, birth stools, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, massage, and music. Beyond these techniques, we offer options for pain management. Pain medications, intravenous fluids, and epidural anesthesia are readily available if needed. The OB team is here to support you throughout labor and delivery to make this life-changing experience as comfortable as possible.”
Bonding, skin-to-skin, rooming in: “After your baby is delivered, you are given time with your newborn to bond and cherish the irreplaceable first precious moments. After some recovery time, you and your baby will be taken to a private or semi-private room on our Mother/Baby Unit to continue skin-to-skin contact and join your family. Rooming with your baby strengthens the maternal-fetal bond and has numerous health benefits for the newborn. The care team provides support and guidance to help you become more comfortable breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and learning your baby’s hunger cues in preparation for bringing your baby home. Our experienced postpartum nursing staff will also teach you how to care for yourself postpartum.”
The postpartum rooms on the Mother/Baby Unit offer:
- Tranquil, quiet spaces separate from Labor & Delivery
- Option to bathe baby in room
- Rooming in of newborns
- Cable TV
- Mini-fridge
- Photography service for you and your newborn
- Convertible bed for loved ones who wish to remain in the room with you and your baby
- Breastfeeding support
Postpartum Care: “While on the Mother/Baby Unit, our team will be there to provide nurturing care, answer questions, and help support you and your baby during these treasured times. Your pediatrician will see your baby throughout your hospitalization, addressing questions you have about caring for your new child. For peace of mind, the Mother/Baby Unit is a secured unit using an infant security system.”
Breastfeeding support: “At UI Health, we agree that breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed and nurture a baby; however, it is a learned art. Some new mothers benefit from knowledge and practical assistance to help them have positive breastfeeding experiences. The breastfeeding support programs at UI Health are designed to offer education, counseling and support so that breastfeeding can be a rewarding experience for mom, baby, and the whole the family.”
Click here to see Insurance Accepted.
UI Health offers a number of classes to prepare you for childbirth and parenting, including classes in Spanish.
To see a schedule of upcoming classes and register on-line, click 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.
Trial of VBAC: The midwives at UI Health support trial of labor after Cesarean and are experienced in providing care for women who want to have vaginal deliveries after a prior birth by Cesarean section, which is considered a high-risk procedure. In all, more than 70 percent of these patients ultimately are able to deliver vaginally. Such pregnancies are co-managed by UI Health’s ob-gyn physicians, who are experts in high-risk pregnancies.
C-Section: The midwives do not perform c-sections. If a c-section becomes advisable, a dedicated OB surgical team is available on-site 24/7.