How to Research Birthing Hospitals* in Chicago

Read time: 12-15 minutes

*In this article, I will breakdown how to do research on different hospitals around Chicago in order to pick a place to birth. This article will not touch on birth centers or home birth practices. I will unpack research these options in a future blog post!

There are so many places to give birth in and around the Chicagoland area. How do you know if you’ve picked the one that’s best for you? I’ve compiled some resources for you below to help you decide where to give birth in our beautiful city! The big four categories for finding information are: your existing provider/practice, your community, your proximity, and available online birthing guides (like Birth Guide Chicago or Leapfrog).

<— My goal with this blog is to have you feeling like this about your birthing experience! This picture of my client makes me smile everytime I see it. She was so empowered from beginning to end!

EXISTING PROVIDER: When you first get pregnant, you might already have an OB/GYN. Many people tend to stick with what they know, so considering your current practice is a great way to begin finding a good-fit birthplace for you. Given that birth is a journey that requires immense trust, if you’ve built a relationship with your provider that trust might already exist. If you have that trusting relationship, you might find it unnecessary to research other spaces to give birth. If you haven’t established a trusting relationship, now is the time to see if that can get established. In a previous blog post, I wrote about questions to ask your healthcare provider throughout your pregnancy: start here with your current provider. By asking questions and taking gut checks, you will likely get a sense of your trust in their care for you and for your baby. If everything feels good, GREAT! If there’s anything that feels off, even if you can’t describe what it is, you have other options.

COMMUNITY: You might reach out to your community to see where people you know gave birth. This can be a great idea: they can share their experiences with you and give you some tips and tricks that helped them navigate the process. I fundamentally believe in community knowledge! However, asking around can also have its pitfalls. Birth is an incredibly unique experience, with individual factors like family values, support systems, preferences, medical risk factors, etc. While you might love your friend’s beautiful birth story at one location with one doctor, you are not guaranteed to have that same experience or even that same doctor on the day of your birth! On the flip side, another friend might have had a terrible experience throughout their birth at a location, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not the right place for you to give birth. 

PROXIMITY: One other common way people pick a birthing location is by proximity. We’ve all seen the movies where people rush to and fro, water gushing and chaos ensuing! Luckily, that’s not very typical in the actual birth world! If you’re planning to go into labor spontaneously, you’re most likely going to labor at home for quite a long time. You’ll talk with your provider in the last few weeks of pregnancy about when to head to your birth setting. The general rule is to get to the hospital as close to 6 cm dilated if possible. Usually, that means your contractions are following a specific pattern (5-1-1, 4-1-1, 3-1-1, 3-1-2… each birth setting has their own protocol). This means you’ll still have time to plan for transportation to get to the hospital, with a fully packed car, with the car seat installed, etc. If you are planning an induction or scheduled cesarean, you’ll know the exact time you need to be at the hospital and will be able to plan transportation accordingly. All this to say: proximity doesn't necessarily need to be a deciding factor in choosing your birth setting, especially in Chicago where we have so many options! Part of your planning is to decide how important proximity and transportation are for you and your family. 

ONLINE GUIDES: So what’s next, if your current provider, community, and proximity all don’t yield a clear yes-answer for you? In Chicago we are so lucky to have options AND we have incredible (and credible!) resources to help us navigate the choices. My favorite one to share with families is BIRTH GUIDE CHICAGO. The first thing I recommend to families who are making decisions about where to give birth is to take their questionnaire. The 10 questions that the survey asks are great starting points to reflect on what you envision your birth experience to be. For example, for some people freedom of movement is going to be something they feel is deeply important to their birth, while others might not find this as necessary. The questionnaire also takes into consideration your own past experiences with healthcare providers. This is extremely important to reflect upon as you make your choices, as giving birth is all about safety and, as I said above, trust. 

Once you take the questionnaire, start investigating different places around Chicago! Birth Guide Chicago has a “find care” tab to help you research the different locations around the city. If you’ve already chosen a tentative place to give birth, start by finding this location on Birth Guide. Once you click in, you’ll be able to see important stats and information. Below, I’ve broken down different aspects of the data you’ll look at, and how to interpret it critically:

• Overall cesarean rate: The overall cesarean rate in the US is 32%. The WHO recommends that countries have a cesarean rate of 10-15%. If avoiding a cesarean is something that is important for you, find a space with a lower cesarean rate.

• Primary cesarean rate: This is the cesarean rate for first time birthing people. The primary cesarean rate in the US is 23%. If you are a first-time birthing person, compare this number to the US average. If you would like to avoid a cesarean and you are a first time parent, use the comparison to help you make your decision. 

• VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) rate: A VBAC is someone who has had at least one prior cesarean and subsequently has a vaginal delivery. This rate fluctuates greatly between hospitals because some hospitals are not protected by their insurance to approve VBACs. If you are planning a VBAC, use this number to help aid your decision. 

• Exclusive breastfeeding rate: This is the rate of babies that are exclusively feeding from the body when they leave the hospital after being born. If nursing without supplemental formula is something that is part of your plan, look for a birth setting that has a high rate of exclusively breastfeeding. 

There is more information for each birth setting when you are researching. I recommend reading through the entire page for the birth setting you’re researching. Below I’ve broken down a few more categories for you: 

• Episiotomy rate: An episiotomy is when a doctor makes a cut in the perineum while you’re pushing to help make more room for the baby to come out vaginally. Modern research has shown that natural tearing is much easier to heal from than an episiotomy, and current recommendations are for birthing spaces to have as low a rate as possible (Evidence Based Birth). 

• Laboring options: This list provides all the options that are available to you as you are laboring in the birth setting, such as wireless telemetry, IV not required, laboring in a tub, etc. Look through each list and see what feels important to have access to for you. 

• Birthing Equipement: These are the different tools available for you to use while laboring, such as peanut balls, birthing balls, birthing stools, etc. Remember, you can always bring your own as well! 

• Pain relief: These are the medicated pain management options you have at the birth setting, such as 24/7 access to anesthesia for epidurals, nitrous oxide, or narcotic IV pain medication. 

• Newborn and postpartum care: These are options you have for the immediate post-delivery care of you and your baby, such as delayed cord clamping, suctioning only if needed, delayed baby bath, etc. 

Remember to look through all the information posted on the Birth Guide! The info above is just a place to start. 

Another website I use to help me while researching is Leapfrog. This is a website that uses national researchers and hospital self-reporting to provide data on different statistics, both related to maternity care and general hospital care. I want to stress that this is a self-reported number from hospitals: this means there is no standardized process or language across all hospital sites, which can lead to varied interpretations in their self-reporting. Much of the data is the same as Birth Guide, so I recommend using Leapfrog as your secondary source. 

Leapfrog does have one unique data point unrelated to birth specifically that I find incredibly valuable. Right at the beginning of their data points, they show information on “Informed Consent.” Take a look at the picture below to see what types of questions hospitals are answering about informed consent —>

Informed consent, as defined by Leapfrog, means “Hospitals should ensure that all patients are fully aware of risks and alternatives prior to procedures.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) defines informed consent as a healthcare provider, “gives the patient adequate, accurate, and understandable information and requires that the patient has the ability to understand and reason through this information and is free to ask questions and to make an intentional and voluntary choice, which may include refusal of care or treatment.” 

Birthing families deserve informed consent throughout their pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum journey. Leapfrog can help you find a birthing location that teaches their staff informed consent. While this isn’t a guarantee that you’ll receive complete informed consent, it’s a good start! 

Leapfrog also gives both similar and new statistics as compared to Birth Guide Chicago. Under their “Maternity Care*” subsection, you can find data about:

• High risk deliveries

• Cesarean sections

• Episiotomies

• Screening newborns for jaundice before discharge

• Preventing blood clots in women undergoing cesarean sections

Because I know some of you are big data nerds, and some of you aren’t, I’ve compiled a table here comparing the biggest birthing locations in the city of Chicago, with their stats posted. 

**I picked these locations based on where most of my clients give birth, but there are MANY locations in our fair Chicagoland area! Reach out to me if you have questions about any spaces not provided on this table.

Have questions about finding the birthing space that’s right for you? Click the link here to connect with me! I’d love to help you in your pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum journey :) 

*NOTE: Leapfrog’s website uses gendered language, including “maternity” and “woman” to discuss pregnancy. I recognize and honor that perinatal care must include all humans with uteruses, and I will continue to work towards making the perinatal field more inclusive and safe for all, both in my professional world as a doula and in my personal world.