2024 Birth Highlights: By the Numbers
Birth Center of Chicago celebrated its third full year of providing high-quality midwifery care to families in an out-of-hospital setting at the end of 2024.
We welcomed our first baby of 2024 on January 1st in our South Suite, and our last baby of the year on December 31st in our North Suite.
Births at BCC
In 2024, we had 118 babies born at our birth center!
Our biggest and littlest babies are 5 lbs. apart: 10 lbs., 2 oz, and 5 lbs., 4oz!
Method of Birth
At the Birth Center of Chicago, we have a vaginal birth rate of 91.1%, reflecting our commitment to midwifery-led care. This rate encompasses all eligible laboring individuals, whether they deliver with our midwives or in a hospital setting.
Compared to the national cesarean rate of 32.3% in the United States, and the World Health Organization's recommended 10% for industrialized nations, our cesarean rate is 7.1%.
First and Other Babies
We're always thrilled when new families begin care at the Birth Center of Chicago. It's wonderful to see how word spreads about the care we provide. In 2024, 58.6% of the clients eligible to give birth at Birth Center of Chicago were first-time parents.
Meaning also that 41.4% of clients welcomed their second, third, or even fourth baby with us. This year, nine families have the unique distinction of giving birth to a "BCC sibling," meaning both children were born at our center.
Birth Positions
Giving birth is a deeply personal experience, and you might not have considered all the options, including the position you'll be in when your baby arrives. At Birth Center of Chicago, we encourage families to move and change positions throughout labor and during the pushing stage.
The most popular position for giving birth for the second year in a row is the Hands and Knees position.
When Birth Happened
What is the most popular week in pregnancy to give birth to your baby? At the Birth Center of Chicago, we can welcome babies between 37 weeks and 42 weeks gestational age. In 2024, the majority of our babies born within the 40th week!
Water Birth
Water birth is a popular option at the Birth Center of Chicago. Both of our birthing rooms feature oversized tubs, providing ample space for labor and birth in a variety of positions. In 2024, 42.37% of babies were born in the water!
Our water birth rate is separate from our clients who used hydrotherapy as a comfort measure during labor which was 74.56%.
Birth Room Choice
Birth Center of Chicago has two primary birth suites and one postpartum suite. Our suites are nestled in with beautiful natural light, private bathrooms, and access to safety and comfort measures that allow our birth teams to offer guidance and care while still offering a home-like birth setting.
In 2024, our North suite, which is our largest room, welcomed 62 babies! By comparison, our South suite welcomed 55 babies.
Comfort Measures
Birth Center of Chicago is a low-risk birth setting, ideal for those seeking a natural childbirth experience without interventions like epidurals, IV pain relief, or medicalized inductions. As a midwife-led, freestanding birth center, we specialize in providing comfort measures that support physiological birth.
Every birthing person has the options to eat and drink as desired, movement, low lighting, and a family-centered support policy. For a comprehensive list of our room features, please visit our page on Birth at BCC.
While all clients who labor at the BCC have options for movement, we want to highlight some specific comfort measures that have been particularly useful: hydrotherapy, nitrous oxide, and doula support.
Hydrotherapy: Water, whether in our birthing tubs or showers, can be a wonderful tool for relaxation and pain relief.
74.56% of clients used hydrotherapy to help them cope during labor. This is not the same as our water birth rate, which is 42.37%.
Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous Oxide is a safe, breathable gas that can be used throughout labor, including the pushing stage.
21.89% of clients used Nitrous Oxide to help them cope during labor.
*All BCC clients use a combination of comfort measures throughout their labors. Our graph shows the number of folks who used each, keeping in mind that most will choose several comfort measures for the duration of their labors.
Doula Support
Doula Support: 62.72% of our clients used doula support to help them prepare and cope during labor. Research shows that doulas can significantly increase the chances of a vaginal birth. At the Birth Center of Chicago, we encourage doula support, recognizing the valuable assistance they provide both at home during early labor and once you arrive at our center. If you're interested in working with a doula, please visit our doula blog for more information.
Transfer Rates
Our birth center is partnered with Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in the Lakeview neighborhood.
I
n 2024, we had 0 urgent transfers during birth and two urgent postpartum transfers..
There were six non-urgent postpartum client transfers and four non-urgent newborn transfers.
Our urgent transfer rate for newborns continues to be 0% for the third year in a row since our opening in 2021.
Zodiac
If you've taken a tour of our center, you've likely seen our baby board, where we celebrate the families and babies born here in the past year. We organize the board by astrological sun signs. For a bit of fun, we'd like to share the busiest and calmest birth times of 2024, as reflected on our board!
Most common zodiac born at BCC was Leo at 19 babies!
Least common zodiac born at BCC was Taurus at 6 babies
Tours & Classes
In 2024, we welcomed 446 visitors (plus their partners and families!) for in-person tours to learn more about the Birth Center care and view our beautiful facility.
We're delighted by the growing interest in our birth center. By simply experiencing our space, you're helping us educate more families about the advantages of freestanding birth centers and the personalized care we provide.
The first step to becoming a client at Birth Center of Chicago is taking a tour! We offer a transparent look at finances and the facility. We hope to get questions answered that help folks move confidently into our care. We offer tours at various dates and times, and you can sign up online for future tours on our website
Our center offers longer prenatal appointments, online resource library, free access to our lending library, and, of course, in-person and virtual classes with our education team. In 2024, we had over 489 students take classes in our center!
Which classes were the most well attended? Overall, our Childbirth Education Class offerings were the most popular with a variety of 55 CBE classes taught at the BCC.
Birth Center of Chicago is unique in that we offer our own classes AND spaces for the birth workers in the community who have aligned coursework to host classes in our space. We are currently working with 8 community educators for regular classes as well as a handful of educators who host periodic workshops. We are excited to add more classes and class types to our calendar in 2025!
