Top obstetrics care

Whether you're pregnant or planning to be, we know this is a special time for you and your family. At Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, our goal is to exceed your expectations and provide a birthing experience that's joyful and memorable.

By choosing our maternity hospital, you'll feel pampered while having the added security of knowing you're surrounded by the most experienced obstetrics team and best technology in the area. In fact, we’ve been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Hospital for Maternity Care.

Highlights of our birthing center include:

• Advanced services for high-risk pregnancies: You and your baby have access to our level II neonatal and pediatric care, should you need it.
• Breastfeeding resources: At our birthing center, you’ll receive the support you need to be successful at breastfeeding. We’ll help you reach your breastfeeding goals and offer lactation services seven days a week. Outpatient lactation services are available by appointment.
• Pampered Pregnancy Program: This complimentary program allows you to choose the birth experience you want, including:
  • Individualized guidance
  • Contact with our OB navigator
  • Personalized educational materials
  • A free massage and facial at the Good Shepherd Hospital Health and Fitness Center

Birth Center virtual tour: Register online now

Birth Center in-person tour: Register online now

What to expect when giving birth at a birthing center

We care about you, your family and your newest addition, so we strive to make your birthing experience as comfortable, relaxing, safe and supportive as possible.

When you have your baby with us, here’s some of what you can expect:

Private birthing and recovery suites: Your labor, delivery and initial recovery will all take place in a comfortable, private suite, which features a bathroom, shower, Wi-Fi, movies and music. Your spouse, partner or support person is welcome to stay with you in the suite the whole time. After your initial recovery, you'll continue your stay in another private room.

Pregnancy navigator: We offer moms-to-be access to a pregnancy navigator for free. Expectant moms can sign up for this service in their first, second or third trimester. The pregnancy navigator will help you individualize your birthing experience. She'll answer your questions, direct you to classes and programs and provide you with the personal attention you deserve.

Pampered Pregnancy Program: Whether it's your first or fourth baby, you can choose to register for our Pampered Pregnancy Program. This complimentary program aims to give you the birth experience you want. It includes individualized guidance as well as such benefits as a complimentary massage and facial at our Good Shepherd Hospital Health and Fitness Center. To register or for more information about the Pampered Pregnancy Program, please call 847-842-2769, email Samantha Pagliuco at Samantha.Pagliuco@aah.org, or submit our online form.

Doula Partnership Program: Our nurses recognize the important contributions doulas offer moms, so we'll work with yours throughout your delivery to ensure optimal satisfaction and outcomes.

Family bonding practices: We promote bonding through immediate skin-to-skin contact and parent-assisted bathing. We practice rooming-in which allows us to keep mom and baby together during the hospital stay.

Family-centered cesarean: Family is the focus of our gentle cesareans, which can decrease anxiety and lead to less pain medication for mom. With typical cesareans, a drape shields the sterile operating field. With a family-centered cesarean, the drape is placed so that mom can receive her baby immediately after birth and bond with him or her through skin-to-skin contact.

Advanced services, just in case: We're a level II extended neonatal capabilities perinatal care facility that's staffed 24/7 with access to neonatologists, OBs and pediatric hospitalists.

How long do you stay at a birthing center after giving birth?

Your stay at our birthing center depends on your labor and delivery. For vaginal births, it's typically 24-48 hours if there are no issues. For C-sections, the stay is usually 48-72 hours for recovery monitoring. If there are complications, twins, or a premature birth, you may need to stay longer.

Breastfeeding resources

We work with women throughout pregnancy and beyond to make sure they’re successful at breastfeeding. We even offer a breast milk donors program to help babies whose mothers have a low milk supply, are ill or are taking certain medications. Donated breast milk is available by request for all babies during their hospital stay.

Our breastfeeding support includes:

• Before delivery: We offer prenatal breastfeeding classes on a regular basis to help you prepare for your breastfeeding journey. Register for an online class today.
• During your stay: All of our OB nurses have special training in breastfeeding support and can help you get the best possible start. If you need more assistance, a lactation consultant is available.
• After birth: We offer a complimentary Baby Bistro breastfeeding support group every Thursday from 10:30 a.m.-noon in the Integrative Medicine Conference Room. You can enter through the West Pavilion Entrance. There's no fee or registration required. For questions, call the lactation office at 847-842-5569.

Milk donation

Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is a milk depot for the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. This allows approved local donors to drop off their frozen breast milk at our hospital rather than ship or drive it to the milk bank in Elk Grove Village. When the milk from the depot arrives at the milk bank, it's pasteurized and processed according to the standards of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

For more information on becoming a breast milk donor, call the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes at 847-262-5134 or Advocate Good Shepherd's Holly Pilarek at 847-842-5569.

Maternity classes & resources

We offer a variety of classes and resources that can be helpful to you and your family during your pregnancy and your newborn's first months.

See a list of our classes and register online. You can also register by calling 800-3-ADVOCATE and mentioning the class code.

Childbirth classes:

• Great expectations – early pregnancy class
• Preparing for childbirth and beyond – virtual weeknight series
• Preparing for childbirth and beyond – virtual weekend series
• Spinning Babies birth preparation
• Additional comfort techniques for labor
• Childbirth refresher
• Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)

Classes to prepare everyone:

• Twins or more: What to expect
• Breastfeeding: Getting the right start
• Newborn basics series
• Grandparenting class

Classes for baby:

• Happiest baby on the block

Additional resources

Advocate Health Care offers a range of resources for moms and babies, including baby pictures and hearing tests. View Advocate's resources.

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