Pregnancy & Birth - Ottawa

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When you choose to deliver your little one at the Family Birthing Center at OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center, we’re honored to share in this important and special time in your life.

Support from Your Care Team

At the Family Birthing Center, you can be assured the top experts in their field will be at your bedside, ready to assist with every situation. We offer:

Level II nursery services where infants are cared for by specially trained nurses who closely monitor and observe them 24/7.
Board-certified maternal-fetal specialists available to care for high-risk pregnancies and deliveries, including low-weight and premature births 32 weeks and above.
Free OB Nurse Navigators, delivering a unique level of care and attention beginning at week 12 of pregnancy through well after you’ve gone home.
Certified nurse-midwife services.
A fully equipped C-section OR surgical suite and private recovery room.
A locked unit with electronic infant security system that uses the latest technology to ensure that all new babies are safe during their hospital stay. Visitors are required to identify themselves for permission to enter and exit the unit.
Tele-NICU services in collaboration with OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois for babies who need special attention after delivery, allowing expert neonatologists to consult with your in-person care team digitally.
GE Panda baby warmers with built-in resuscitation capabilities for high-risk babies as well as the ability to monitor baby's oxygen levels and heart rate without additional equipment.
Neo-blue phototherapy equipment for babies who are jaundiced, allowing infants to stay in the room with you while receiving treatment.

Personalized Benefits

At the Family Birthing Center, the whole family will be wrapped in care and love throughout the entire birthing journey, from pregnancy to delivery to recovery, and beyond. We offer:

A relaxing and private environment for mom to labor, deliver and recover in, including a portable fetal monitoring system and ultrasound at the bedside, Whirlpool tubs or showers with seats and pull-down massaging showerheads and comfortable sleep chairs for your support person.

Certified lactation counselors and all staff members are First Latch trained to help successfully incorporate breastfeeding into a family’s lifestyle.
Pasteurized human donor milk available through The Mothers Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes to newborns born within our facility.
Options for a variety of birth plans, including allowing in-room doulas, and provided birthing balls and birthing bars.
Comfortable postpartum care rooms have TVs, telephones, comfortable recliners, Wi-Fi and MyChart Bedside tablets, with a convenient on-call dining room service available.
All newborns receive a free birthday cake for their family to celebrate their arrival.
In-room care with mom and baby, so you can spend as much time with your baby as you desire, allowing babies to stay with moms and their support person overnight.
Additional non-clinical support for families, including financial assistance and pastoral care for spiritual well-being.

Accreditations and Certifications

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has recognized OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center with the Blue Distinction® Center for Maternity Care designation. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated hospitals that show expertise in delivering improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community.

Leapfrog Group's standards for maternity care on evidenced-based, nationally standardized metrics:

Lower rates of early elective delivery, NTSV c-section and episiotomy
Compliance with newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge, blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via c-section

Leapfrog is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement forward in the quality and safety of American health care. We are confident that you will love your experience at OSF Saint Elizabeth because our care exceeds the target goal in every maternity care category measured by the Leapfrog Hospital Survey: achieving low rates of C-section, episiotomies performed, early elective deliveries, and following crucial protocols to protect mothers and babies.

Other Services

Nurse Navigator

Our free OB Nurse Navigator Program helps expectant moms feel confident and comfortable before the big day arrives. They are your personal guide to pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care. For your convenience, you can meet with a nurse navigator at OSF Saint Elizabeth.

Parenting and Birthing Classes

Before you give birth, we invite you to check out our wide variety of online classes. Topics include nutrition, stretching exercises, how to use a birthing ball, breastfeeding, car seat safety, postpartum depression and more.

Online Classes

Postpartum support

After your delivery, our nursing staff will teach you how to care for your baby and support your breastfeeding needs. New moms can join our online support group on Facebook: Moms of beautiful babies support group.

Breastfeeding Resources

The personalized care – from early education, online breastfeeding classes and in-person assistance – is the best in town. Call Kelly Hert, RN, BSN, our lactation consultant (815) 431-5285 for lactation information.

Our nursing staff can help talk with your insurance provider about obtaining an electric breast pump to use at home. Hospital grade pumps are available throughout your stay with us.

For those moms needing more personalized attention, individual office visits can be scheduled with Jennifer Kelsey, APRN, a breastfeeding consultant. She offers feeding evaluations, mom only visits or pregnant mom visits.

Are you a mom interested in donating your extra breast milk? We are pleased to partner with the moms in our community and Mother's Milk Bank to help more babies receive the health benefits and often life-saving nutrients of breast milk.

Incontinence resources

If you experience light leakage and urgency, you don’t have to let it interrupt your life. OSF Medical Group - Obstetrics & Gynecology offers UroDynamic testing, an easy and pain-free series of in-clinic tests to determine bladder and urethra function in women experiencing incontinence. With the latest technology and years of experience under their belts, our experts offer personalized solutions.

Take a Tour

See what a great experience our beautiful Family Birthing Center can offer! We invite you to take a video tour, or come visit us in-person by submitting a request using the form below.

Schedule Your Tour