Places to Give Birth In Chicago: Birth Center of Chicago

Mel Haley
Apr 8, 2024
8 min read

Updated: Apr 18

birth center of chicago birthing suite including birth tub and large birth bed taken by doula during birth — South Suite

UPDATE: BCC is reopening for prenatal care and accepting clients with due dates March 1, 2026 and later. Well body and gyn appointments also reopen on March 1, 2026.

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There are so many places to give birth in Chicago. I started this series with one of my favorite places in the city, the Birth Center of Chicago, originally published in spring of 2024. Since then, BCC has experienced many beautiful births and one big, devastating closure. Now, in 2026 they are back and many are wondering - should I give birth there?

Note that BCC is currently the only freestanding birth center in the city, but the Chicago South Side Birth Center just broke ground and is raising funds to open their doors. Read more and support here.

Part 1: Birth Center of Chicago - reopened December 2025

Part 2: Illinois Masonic

Part 3: Northwestern Prentice

Part 4: Evanston Hospital

Part 5: OMG Midwives at Hinsdale

Part 6: Burr Ridge Birth Center; permanently closed as of April 2026

Part 7: Swedish Hospital

Part 8: Birth Roots Community Midwifery

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. That said, preferring the birth center over a home birth is mostly about pyschological safety, because in terms of safety equiptment they are more or less the same.

Birth center midwives and home birth midwives carry all of the same medication and equipment, so the biggest difference is environment. Generally, a birth center is a better fit for people who psychologically like the idea of not being at home, but are also low risk and want to avoid the hospital.

Birth Center of Chicago Experience

First let me start by saying that I believe that the Birth Center of Chicago is a really special place. I was devastated when they closed in summer 2025, as were the 8 families I was working with at the time who were planning a birth with the Birth Center of Chicago.

The secret sauce with the Birth Center of Chicago has always been the people - they make it what it is. I have had the pleasure of attending births with Juanita (the new director of midwifery), Megan, and Melissa. All are excellent midwives who bring different skills to the birth space. I'm excited to see them grow as a team under the guidance (and frankly, magic) that Juanita brings to birth.

Second, I acknowledge that the Birth Center of Chicago has some work to do to rebuild trust with the community after their closure. I believe that they made the best and safest decisions for their clients during a tough moment with staffing, but I also know that many folks are feeling unsure about where BCC is headed. As an outsider myself, I can't totally answer that. What I can tell you is that I have always loved the Birth Center of Chicago for the staff that works there, and that is still true. I'll keep updating as they start catching babies again!

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention that the Birth Center of Chicago is a sibling birth center to Burr Ridge Birth Center, owned by the same parent company. In April 2026, Burr Ridge Birth Center closed abruptly due to financial issues. There has been no statement or clarity about what happened or how it might affect the Birth Center of Chicago. You may find it helpful to read my blog post on Burr Ridge Birth Center in which I go into more depth about the details I was able to piece together.

The 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.

Experience

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. Because their protocols are lower-intervention, it is easy to avoid some of the things that hospitals are known for. 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 care at Birth Center of Chicago!

Key Statistics & Information

You can read the full report on the the Birth Center of Chicago blog here. Note that these stats are from a completely different team before the closure so the 2026 end of year stats will be important to pay attention to.

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

birth center of chicago labor and birth snacks in a fridge, inclduing apple juice, gatorade, and cheese sticks

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.

pregnant person in labor at birth center of chicago sitting with midwife doula — former Midwife Christina cracking jokes with a laboring person

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.

midwife holding a placenta art print at birth center of chicago from recent birthing person, taken by doula — former Midwife Tori making placenta art

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. If a transfer is needed, you head directly to IL Masonic where BCC has a partnership.

birth center of chicago newborn exam with footprints in the foreground and a newborn infant in the background

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, you can 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.

Full Series