Birth Center at PCC (Berwyn)
Berwyn, IL 60402
The birth center does not offer epidurals or narcotic pain relief. The midwives offer a range of techniques to help you manage your pain, including water immersion, movement, relaxation and breathing, and massage. Over 95% of women who begin labor at the Birth Center deliver naturally, without pain medication.
The Birth Center at PCC cares for women experiencing low-risk pregnancies.
Accepts Medicaid : No
See Insurance comments for details
Most of the midwives at the Birth Center at PCC speak Spanish.
Outcomes:
Overall C-Section Rate (Risk Adjusted) – 3%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
Primary C-Section Rate (Risk Adjusted) – 3%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
Exclusive Breastfeeding Rate – 99%
As compared to Chicago-area hospitals, this rate is:
- Number of VBAC deliveries per year -
- Epidural Rate - 0%
- Overall Induction Rate -
- Early Elective Deliveries - 0%
- Episiotomy Rate - 0%
C-section Rates: Cesarean births are not performed at PCC, so if your labor becomes complicated, you will transport to MacNeal Hospital for any necessary care, including a cesarean birth if needed.
The cesarean rates reported above reflects the number of mothers who begin labor at PCC and end up transporting and having a cesarean birth at the hospital. This rate is not risk-adjusted, and should not be directly compared to rates for Chicago-area hospitals. But if you qualify for care and begin your labor at the Birth Center, the likelihood that you will have a cesarean birth is extraordinarily low.
VBAC: Trial of VBAC is not offered at the Birth Center at PCC. Mothers who wish for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) can work with PCC midwives at MacNeal Hospital.
Epidural, early elective delivery and episiotomy rates: These rates (0% in all cases) are for mothers who birth at the Birth Center at PCC.
“At the intersection of four communities – Chicago, Berwyn, Cicero, and Oak Park – the Birth Center at PCC stands as the first freestanding birth center in Illinois. The Birth Center at PCC is a home-like facility featuring two birthing suites with private bathrooms where birthing people can birth their babies. Birth centers are integrated in the health care system and are proven, safe options for qualifying pregnant people. The Birth Center at PCC is staffed by midwives and has an agreement with MacNeal Hospital for patients who develop a need for a higher level of care during labor. Many Medicaid Managed Care plans are accepted, making it one of few out-of-hospital options in Illinois for people that use public health insurance.
“Patients receive prenatal care at PCC health centers but come to the Birth Center at PCC when labor begins. Birth center care includes attentive clinical support from certified nurse-midwives, access to a birthing tub, and frequent follow-up during the postpartum period.”
Birth attendants: Birth at the Birth Center at PCC is attended by a team of two certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and an assistant, usually also a midwife, specially trained for attendance at out-of-hospital births. This team practices the midwifery model of care, a model based on the understanding that for most women, pregnancy and childbirth are healthy and normal parts of the life cycle. Skilled in attending to women who deliver with and without pain medication, our Birth Center midwives can help patients achieve the birth experience they are seeking.
The birth center: Our birth center features two birthing suites each with its own private bathroom. Each tastefully designed birthing room has a full-sized bed and built in water birth tub. A yoga ball and birthing stool are also available. The birth center also includes two separate family rooms, one of which has a kitchenette stocked with snacks for the laboring mother.
Water birth: “The Birth Center at PCC is happy to offer our patients the option to labor and deliver in one of our birthing tubs. Being in the water has many benefits and is a practice supported by the American College of Nurse Midwives and the American Association of Birth Centers. ”
Coping with labor discomfort: “At the Birth Center at PCC, mothers deliver naturally without pain medication. Our midwives stay close by to help mothers cope with labor discomfort. Many patients find comfort using the hot shower, tub, massage, or heat packs for pain relief. Mothers can move around and find a comfortable position using a yoga ball, the full size bed, or a birthing stool. You will be surprised how effective seemingly simple things, like massage and movement, can help you cope. The best pain relief method is the one that works for you. Our supportive midwives and birth assistants will work with you to find what feels best.”
Family friendly visitor policy: “The birth center is family-friendly. We welcome guests of the laboring mother who are respectful and supportive of the mother and their decision to birth in the birth center. If you bring children to the birth, they must be watched by another adult who is not the mother in labor. We want you to feel comfortable the whole time, so you may ask guests to leave the room or birth center at any time. Guests may not come if they have any symptoms of an infectious disease or illness.”
Eating during labor and postpartum: “With two family rooms, refrigerator, and microwave, family members and support persons will be comfortable while the mother is in labor. Guests should bring their own meals and snacks. After delivery, we recommend guests (except for one labor support person) go home so that they are well rested and available to help the laboring mother once she gets home. We will order a warm meal for the parents and will make sure the whole family has a chance to rest.”
Postpartum Care: “Birth center care includes an early discharge and thorough follow-up care. First time mothers stay in the birth center between 8-12 hours after birth and mothers who have already had a baby are encouraged to stay between 6-12 hours. Family and support persons are welcome throughout this time period. Before a family goes home, we will make sure that mother and baby are stable and that they have both rested and eaten. When the family prepares to go home, we will give detailed instructions that outline normal recovery as well as symptoms that require a phone call to the midwife or further attention.
All mothers and babies receive a home-visit 24-36 hours after birth for a check-up. This is followed by a clinic visit for mother and baby 3-4 days after birth. Finally, mother and baby return to the clinic for a 6-week visit. Additional visits are given when needed. Sometimes mothers will come in for a visit just to check up on breastfeeding and to help baby breastfeed successfully. “
Email birthcenter@pccwellness.org if you have questions.
Click here to see Insurance Accepted.
The Birth Center at PCC and its midwives are in-network with many Medicaid Managed Care plans. Coverage with other Medicaid plans and commercial PPO plans varies. Call the Director of Clinical Operations at 708-317-3035 to discuss your plan. A sliding fee scale is available for those who qualify.
Some examples of health-related requirements to be accepted for care include, but are not limited to:
- Staying in overall good health and regularly going to prenatal appointments;
- Taking good care of yourself by eating healthy food and staying physically active;
- Not smoking, or quitting during pregnancy by 20 weeks gestation;
- Measurement and ultrasounds indicating normal growth and development for the baby;
- Baby born at full-term, between 37 – 42 weeks gestation;
- Baby born with its head down (vertex);
- No previous cesarean births;
- Reassuring blood pressure throughout pregnancy and in labor;
- Absence of gestational diabetes or gestational diabetes that can be controlled with diet changes;
- Reassuring blood iron levels at the time of delivery;
- Absence of significant diseases, such as, but not limited to heart disease, active or chronic liver disease, or current drug or alcohol dependence.”
The Birth Center at PCC holds a transport agreement with MacNeal Hospital for the care of mothers or babies who develop a need for higher level care during labor or in the hours after the birth.
If for any reason the Birth Center at PCC is no longer the best place for you to deliver your baby, you will continue to receive prenatal care at PCC.
For labor and delivery, you may receive care from a hospital-based PCC midwife at MacNeal Hospital, where you can have a natural birth or may choose pain medication, such as an epidural. If a Cesarean birth is needed, PCC physicians can perform them in the hospital.
Call 708-317-3035 or email birthcenter@pccwellness.org to schedule a tour of the Birth Center at PCC.
Mothers who plan to deliver at the Birth Center at PCC are requited attend a free childbirth education course, offered monthly at PCC South Family Health Center. Partners and other labor support persons are strongly encouraged to attend as well. Topics are tailored to giving birth in an out-of-hospital setting and include the process of labor and birth, support techniques, understanding complications and reasons to transport to the hospital, interventions, and breastfeeding. A tour of the Birth Center at PCC and orientation to the center is also included.
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Both birthing rooms have large comfortable tubs that you can use for both labor and birth.