Choosing where to have your baby can be one of most important decisions you make about your birth. You can compare an overview of all four of your options to help you decide which is right for you.
Or you can learn more about an individual birth setting from the Birth Settings dashboard.
| PHILOSOPHY OF CARE | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? Normal birth is a natural, healthy life event that is safest and most satisfying without routine interventions. Familiar surroundings and undisturbed labor facilitate a joyful birth and mother-baby-family bonding. Women are on their home turf and take responsibility for their own health and birth choices. The midwife is a watchful guardian to an intimate process that “belongs” to the woman and her chosen community. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Normal birth is a natural, healthy life event that is safest and most satisfying without routine interventions. A home-like atmosphere and undisturbed labor facilitate a joyful birth and mother-baby-family bonding. Women are partners in their own care and take responsibility for their health and birth choices. Care is oriented towards supporting natural birth, but offers some additional interventions that may not be available at home. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Normal birth is a natural, healthy life event that can also benefit from having technology immediately available. Routine interventions are kept to a minimum within the constraints of hospital protocols, and natural childbirth is well-supported. Women are partners in their own care. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Birth is usually a healthy, happy life event but it is best safeguarded by medical technology and procedures. Birth can be risky but with the proper care and medical assistance the baby can be protected from harm. Natural childbirth is unrealistic for many women and controlling pain with medication can lead to greater satisfaction with the childbirth experience. Actively managing labor and birth is generally the best policy. | |
| WHO MIGHT BE COMFORTABLE BIRTHING HERE | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? Low-risk women and their partners who trust the birth process and want to “own” their experience completely, who are strongly attracted to the idea of a natural childbirth, and who value the feelings of control, safety and serenity that a familiar and comforting setting offers during the intimate moments of birth. Also those who want to include their other children in the birth experience. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Low-risk women and their partners who are attracted to the idea of a natural birth, who want family-centered care and value homelike surroundings, but who are not comfortable delivering at home. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Women who have no major health problems and may want to try for a natural birth. Women and their partners who value the individual attention offered by midwives but want easy access to an epidural or other medical intervention not available in a birth center. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Women or their babies who have a health condition that requires advanced medical care or surgery. Women and their partners who feel safest under the care of a doctor and in a clinical setting with all types of medical technology immediately at hand. | |
| RESEARCH ON SAFETY | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? For low-risk women attended by a certified nurse midwife (CNM), some research studies suggest that planned home birth is as safe as hospital birth while others suggest that a hospital birth is safer. The risk is very low in both settings. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? For low-risk women, birth in a midwife-led birth center is as safe as hospital birth. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? For low-risk women, hospital birth is as safe with a midwife as with a doctor. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? For high risk women, hospital birth with a doctor is the safest option. For low risk women, birth in a hospital with a doctor is generally as safe as midwife-attended hospital birth, although some outcomes are better with midwives. | |
| INTERVENTION RATES | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? Interventions are lower than for low-risk women who plan hospital births — including c-section, induction, episiotomy, and pain medication. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Intervention rates are lower than for low-risk women who plan hospital births — including c-section, induction, episiotomy, and pain medication. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Intervention rates are lower than for low-risk women who choose doctor care and higher than for women who plan to birth at home or in a midwife-led birth center — including C-section, induction, episiotomy, and pain medication. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Even for low-risk women, intervention rates are higher than in any other setting. | |
| POLICIES & ROUTINES | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? There are no rules or routines to limit choices. Women are free to eat and drink, move instinctually in labor and deliver in whatever position feels right. Home birth practitioners do not generally impose time limits on labor. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? There are few rules and routines to limit choices. Women are free to eat and drink, move instinctually in labor and deliver in whatever position feels right. Birth center midwives do not generally impose time limits on labor. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Eating and drinking may be restricted. An IV is likely to be required. Time limits may be set on labor, and continuous fetal monitoring may limit freedom of movement. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Eating and drinking may be restricted. An IV is likely to be required. Time limits may be set on labor, and continuous fetal monitoring may limit freedom of movement. | |
| GETTING THERE AND TRANSFER | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? There is no need to drive to a hospital or birth center as labor gets underway. Women who develop complications or decide they want pain medication will need to transfer to a hospital labor & delivery unit. Between 11% and 14% of women who begin labor at home transport to the hospital. Only 1-2% of women transfer with an emergency. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? As there are only a handful of midwife-led birth centers in Chicago, the drive to the birth center may be long. Women who develop complications or decide they want pain medication will need to transfer to a hospital labor & delivery unit. Between 12-20% of women who begin labor in a birth center end up transferring. Only 1-2% of women transfer with an emergency. Transfer is quick and well-coordinated. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? There are several hospital-based midwife practices in the Chicago area so midwife-care in the hospital should be available within a reasonable distance. After the drive to the hospital in labor, there is no need to transfer for an epidural or if complications arise. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? There are many hospitals in the Chicago area so several options should be available within a reasonable distance. After the drive to the hospital in labor, there is no need to transfer for an epidural or if complications arise. | |
| PAIN RELIEF OPTIONS | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? Hydrotherapy (bathtub, shower, rented birth tub), unrestricted movement, vocalizing, freedom to eat and drink, imagery/meditation and massage. Some home birth practitioners offer herbs, aromatherapy or acupressure. Feeling private, safe and in control can make pain easier to manage. Epidurals and other pain medication are not available. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Hydrotherapy (shower, labor or birth tub), unrestricted movement, vocalizing, freedom to eat and drink, imagery/meditation and massage. Some birth centers offer herbs, aromatherapy or acupressure. Some pain medication, including nitrous oxide, may be available but not epidurals. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Showers are usually available, and sometimes labor tubs. Some hospitals allow unrestricted movement and freedom to eat and drink. Imagery, meditation and massage are options. Some hospital midwives provide herbs, aromatherapy or accupressure. Epidurals and other pain medication are available. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Showers are usually available, and sometimes labor tubs. Some hospitals allow unrestricted movement and freedom to eat and drink. Imagery, meditation and massage may be options. Epidurals and other pain medication are available. | |
| EMOTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? Because giving birth in a hospital is the norm in America today, women who choose home birth may have to deal with self-doubt and concern or criticism from family or friends, especially in the rare event of complications. The comfort and control of being in familiar surroundings helps some women relax, which can make birth easier, faster and less painful. The family can settle into a new routine after birth with no interruptions. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Because there are only a handful of midwife-led birth centers in Chicago, travel times to prenatal appointments and in labor may be long. Most insurance, covers midwife-led birth centers, but not all. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Some women feel regret or self-doubt if hospital protocols and procedures interfere with their ability to labor and birth as they wish. Hospitals do not offer much privacy and the clinical atmosphere makes some women anxious. Having the technology of the hospital readily available in case of emergency is comforting to some women and helps them relax, which can make birth easier, faster and less painful. Midwives generally offer expert support for women who want a natural childbirth, which can be very rewarding emotionally. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Some women feel regret or self-doubt if hospital protocols and procedures interfere with their ability to labor and birth as they wish. Hospitals do not offer much privacy and the clinical atmosphere makes some women anxious. Having an OB’s surgical expertise and the technology of the hospital readily available in case of emergency is comforting to some women and helps them relax, which can make birth easier, faster and less painful. | |
| PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? In Illinois, only certified nurse midwives (CNMs) and doctors are licensed to attend home births. Most of the Chicago area is served by at least one home birth practice. Because there are only a handful of home birth practices in Chicago, travel times to prenatal appointments may be long. Home birth is cheaper than hospital birth, but not all insurance plans cover home birth. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Because there are only a handful of midwife-led birth centers in Chicago, travel times to prenatal appointments and in labor may be long. Most insurance, covers midwife-led birth centers, but not all. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Hospitals vary considerably in terms of policies and outcomes, so it is important to research several options and to be open to driving further. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Hospitals vary considerably in terms of policies and outcomes, so it is important to research several options and to be open to driving further. | |
| SUPPORT IN LABOR | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? Home birth practitioners arrive when active labor is established and stay with the family until several hours after birth. Any number of others, including a doula, friends, siblings and other family members, can be present at the birth. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Birth center staff generally care for only one or two mothers at a time. Midwife-led birth centers generally have liberal policies about allowing family, friends, doulas and possibly siblings to be present. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Hospital midwives usually care for fewer mothers at a time and can spend more time supporting labor than doctors can. Midwives and some labor & delivery nurses are supportive of natural childbirth. Hospital policies vary on how many others, including doulas, friends, siblings and other family members, can be present at the birth. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Doctors have to divide their attention among a number of patients at a time. They do not usually have time to offer labor support, but will join the laboring mother as she gets close to pushing her baby out or if they are worried that she is developing complications. Some labor & delivery nurses are supportive of natural childbirth. Hospital policies vary on how many others, including doulas, friends, siblings and other family members, can be present at the birth. | |
| PRACTITIONERS | Home Birth: Is It Right For Me? In Illinois, only certified nurse midwives (CNMs) and doctors are licensed to attend home births. Licensed home birth midwives and doctors are trained to support labor safely and effectively without medications or hospital technology, and to recognize complications or risk factors that require transfer to the hospital. | Is a Midwife-Led Birth Center Right for Me? Care is provided by certified nurse midwives (CNMs). CNMs have extensive training in their field and are experts in normal birth. They are trained to support labor safely and effectively without medications or hospital technology, and to recognize complications or risk factors that require transfer to the hospital labor & delivery unit. CNMs who work in midwife-led birth centers have considerable autonomy to practice the midwifery model of care, which is personal, holistic and family-centered. |
| Midwife-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right for Me? Care in the hospital is provided by certified nurse midwives (CNMs), who have extensive training in their field and are experts in normal birth. They support natural childbirth within the constraints of hospital policies and procedures. In many hospitals (but not all) they have autonomy to practice the midwifery model of care. For women with moderate risk factors, collaborative care with both a midwife and a doctor may be an option. | Doctor-Attended Hospital Birth: Is It Right For Me? Most doctors who deliver in the hospital are OBs. OBs are highly trained physicians and surgeons. They spend the majority of their training learning how to handle complications of pregnancy and birth. Doctors have a wider scope of practice and more years of medical training than midwives, and are best qualified to care for women who are high-risk. |