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There are so many places to give birth in Chicago. I'm starting off this series with a review of one of my all time favorites! BCC is currently the only freestanding birth center in the city. The Chicago South Side Birth Center is raising funds to open their doors. Read more and support here.
Birth Centers are meant to marry a home-like, comfortable setting with medical equipment plus expertise to handle most complications. If you want a home birth, but you or your partner are unsure about being outside of a medical setting, a birth center might be the right fit for you.
Birth Center of Chicago Experience
Getting there: Birth Center of Chicago is on N Lincoln Ave in North Center, about 15-20 minutes from the I-90 Irving Park exit. It's easily accessible by car from Irving Park, Ravenswood, Edgewater, Andersonville, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Logan Square, Bucktown, and more! You can usually find free street parking, but there is also a paid parking lot across the street.
Care: You will come in for all of you prenatal care with the midwives, which includes 30-60 minute appointments (contrasted with a medical setting, where you usually get about 5-15 minutes). They offer a range of excellent classes and doulas are both welcome and encouraged. They are LGBTQ+ inclusive and welcoming.
Sometimes in a medical setting declining something is "protocol" can be a lot of conversation and work. With the Birth Center of Chicago, they only use IVs when medically necessary, you can birth in any position you want, and they do intermittent auscultation rather than continuous fetal monitoring. You can eat and drink freely and only have cervical exams that you want. Want to wait until your baby's umbilical cord is white before cutting it? Literally, no problem. Waterbirth? You got it!
You also get 3 postpartum visits in the first 2 weeks, whereas medical standard is 1 visit at the end of 6 weeks. Their care honors the birthing person-baby dyad and is generally more holistic. For example, I've had clients who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Instead of immediately putting them on a path to a medicalized birth, the midwives offer resources and collect more data. Every client of mine has been treated like a whole person, and one that is fully capable of making their own medical decisions.
Overall, my clients who give birth there are very satisfied with the care they receive, before, during, and after their births. They tell me that they felt heard, that their wishes were respected, and that they felt cared for and safe. So many positive reviews for the Birth Center of Chicago!
Key Statistics & Information
You can read the full report on the BCC blog here.
Midwifery-led care for all patients
105 babies born in 2023
Primary Cesarean Rate: 5.8%
Number of first time birth-givers who went on to have cesareans
Epidural rate: not available (see transfer rate)
Induction rate: no data
23% transfer rate during labor
33 people who were eligible to give birth at the birth center transferred out of their care during labor
97% of transfers were first time birthers
0 of these transfers were urgent during-birth transfers
81% of those who transferred non-urgently in labor chose to get an epidural
50.7% of clients chose to have doula support
Waterbirth: tubs in each birth suite
Not able to support VBAC (trial of labor after Cesarean) clients
No NICU (transfers are made to Illinois Masonic, Perinatal Level III)
Visitors: 3 people plus a doula (4 total)
Siblings are allowed with their own support person
Photographers are allowed
No data on breast/chest feeding, but BCC is very supportive of nursing
Eating and drinking is unrestricted during labor
Services & Amenities
The Birth Center of Chicago has such a good vibe. Excuse me, but just look at this fully stocked fridge. No need to even pack snacks. Want some freshly baked bread or cookies as part of your postpartum meal? We can make that happen in the full kitchen. Plus, the birth suites are dreamy. Big, comfy beds, giant tubs, showers, and a whole library of birth tools are all at your disposal.
Some of the services are hard to list. Imagine this: your labor is slowing down and picking up. Your water is broken. You don't want to just wait for things to pick up and end up risking out of the birth center. Your doula and midwives leave you with your partner to get cozy and have a huddle in the hallway. Everyone is on the same page so you can just relax and lean on your partner. Your doula tiptoes back in and suggests some position changes. Labor is roaring just an hour later. Baby is in your arms shortly after that. At your postpartum visit, your doula shares that they strategized with the midwives about how to get baby into an optimal position based on all the variables at play.
Or imagine that you're in transition, the most intense part of labor, your baby's heart tones sound a bit concerning. The midwives calmly help you change positions to give the baby a break from some of the pressure. You don't realize until days later that the suggested position changes were to help baby. Later, the midwife comes in and asks if you want to talk about what happened now, or later in your first postpartum visit.
I've seen midwives handle crises, talk patients through transferring their care due to a complication, and do a family-centered newborn exam. They always come in a just sit with clients during labor to get a feel of what is going on. Their care is excellent, and they always put the client (and safety) first.
The midwives all have their own personalities, but they all care deeply about birth. They have chosen to work at a birth center because they are united in their goals to offer a safe AND satisfying birth to people in the Chicago area. Recently at a birth, a midwife and I nerded-out about placentas while she made a beautiful placenta print for my clients to take home, all while our client was tucked into bed snuggling their newborn peacefully.
When babies are born in the hospital, pediatric "baby nurses" come in to assist. These folks are qualified professionals, but they are people you have not met before. They are the ones who are vigorously rubbing your baby, drying them off, and deciding if the baby should stay on you or needs to be transferred to a warmer. At the Birth Center of Chicago, the team is full of familiar faces. Everyone understands and respects that the safest place for a baby to transition (almost all of the time) is on their birthing parent's chest, connected to their umbilical cord and placenta. No vigorous rubbing. No panicking. Just thoughtful decision making to help baby enter the world as peacefully as possible.
BCC has all the medical equipment to handle complications except for an operating room and a NICU. That means that they have medications to handle things like postpartum bleeding, and the training and equipment to help a baby who is struggling to transition. In other words, they have everything a labor and delivery room has; it's just that you take an ambulance if you need the OR or NICU, rather than taking an elevator at a hospital.
Insurance
Insurance is the number one barrier I hear from potential clients about giving birth here. Birth Center of Chicago is currently in network with BlueCross BlueShield PPO and United Healthcare PPO. You can read more about fees and costs on their website, and they do offer a payment program. Note that when you take a tour and pay their $200 registration fee, that covers a "verification of benefits" which will let you know how much you will owe out of pocket, depending on your insurance plan. Medicaid currently does not cover the Birth Center of Chicago.
Next Steps
If you are interested in learning more, and it can't hurt to check out a great community resource, you can schedule a tour. You'll get to see the public spaces, including a beautiful reception area with a full kitchen and a classroom where you can take classes on everything from Childbirth to Baby Wearing (spoiler, I teach both). If you are not pregnant, but looking for a Well Care visit, you can go see the midwives! As someone who sees midwives for my own reproductive care, I can assure you that they give the best pelvic exams. If you have already established care with another provider in Chicago, it may be possible to transfer care.
If you want personalized care that feels good, if you want to be treated like a rational adult capable of making health decisions, if you want all your questions answered in depth, the Birth Center of Chicago is a good fit for you. Still not sure? Feel free to reach out to me or them to talk more! If you are looking to compare multiple settings in the Chicago area, check out Birth Guide Chicago, and stay tuned for more birth location spotlights.
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