Birthing Center Chicago

Our family-centered approach – combined with our reputation for excellent pregnancy care from labor and delivery through postpartum and recovery – gives parents both confidence and peace of mind throughout their birthing experience.

We offer the services you or your baby might need – from resources to help mothers breastfeed successfully and a donor milk program that provides newborns with added nutrients when necessary to the care required when moms and babies are facing high-risk pregnancies or complications.

Breastfeeding support

Helping you prepare

Prenatal classes: Learn basic breastfeeding skills, such as positioning and latching, and how to avoid common problems. Partners or support persons are encouraged to attend. Classes are taught by an international board-certified lactation consultant or certified lactation counselor. Register online now.

Assistance during your stay

Experts on hand: Our nurses will help you get started with breastfeeding. Many of them have earned special certification as lactation counselors. If breastfeeding is more challenging for you, our international board-certified lactation consultants will work with you to address any issues.

Support once you're home

Outpatient breastfeeding center: We offer one of the only outpatient breastfeeding centers in Chicago, and our doors are open to all women regardless of where they delivered. Appointments with a board-certified lactation consultant are available Monday through Friday. Call 773-296-7047 to schedule. If your call isn't answered immediately, leave a message and we'll get back to you within 24 business hours.

Breast pump rental: Hospital-grade breast pumps are available for rent in Lori’s Gift Shop at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. For more information, call 773-296-5966. A lactation consultant will instruct you on pumping and breast milk storage.

Support group: We offer a free breastfeeding support group on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. The support group provides mothers with an opportunity to meet others, share experiences and receive guidance and support from a lactation consultant. To register, call Nilda Garcia at 773-235-3646 ext. 15 or email her at nilda.garcia@advocatehealth.com.

24-hour warm line

If at any time you have questions or concerns about breastfeeding, call 773-296-7765. If your call isn't answered immediately, a lactation consultant will get back to you within 24 hours.

Donor milk program

Due to its numerous benefits, Illinois Masonic Medical Center provides pasteurized human donor milk to babies whose mothers have a low milk supply, are ill or on certain medications. Donated human milk can also be used in cases of adoption or surrogacy. Our program follows guidelines established by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, which regulates milk donation and banking.

Benefits of breast milk for premature infants

When a mother's breast milk is not available, donor milk can provide many of the same advantages, one of the most important being a reduced risk of developing infections like necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious disease affecting the intestine of many infants born prematurely.

Donor breast milk can also help to lower sepsis (infection) rates, decrease length of stay in the NICU, decrease incidence of feeding intolerance and diarrhea and reduce the risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) - a potentially blinding eye disease primarily seen in premature babies.

Understanding the history & process

How we've grown: We're proud to be home to Chicago's first human milk depot. Advocate Illinois Masonic has been providing pasteurized human donor milk to babies since 2013. Seeing the benefits of that initiative inspired us to start accepting donations as a human milk depot to help provide the best possible care for an even wider scope of mothers and babies.

How it works: The milk depot collects human milk donations from healthy, lactating women who are approved donors through the Mothers' Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. Donations to the milk depot are sent to the milk bank, where they are pasteurized to eliminate any viruses or bacteria. After pasteurization, the milk is tested once again for safety and distributed to hospitals.

How to donate breast milk

Become approved: If you'd like to become a donor, contact the Mothers' Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes at 847-262-5134 to learn about the approval process.

Schedule an appointment: If you're an approved donor who'd like to schedule an appointment to drop off a donation at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, contact Gina Juliano at 773-296-7120.

Advanced services for complex issues

As an advanced perinatal center, we’re equipped to provide the care moms and babies need when facing a high-risk pregnancy or complications. Some of the leading-edge services we provide include:

• Antenatal Resource Center: To ensure your baby gets timely care, our ARC experts can identify potential issues before your due date by providing such services as:

• Perinatal Surveillance Unit: For mothers who require hospitalization either prior to or after labor.
• High-risk obstetrical suites: Specially designed to handle multiple births, caesarean deliveries and birth complications.
• Board-certified neonatologists: On site 24/7 in our level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the highest level of treatment available in Illinois for critically ill and premature babies.
• High-Risk Infant Follow-Up Care Unit: Whose experts monitor and care for infants with possible developmental or neurological issues.
• Highest-level NICU: Our Nancy and Lawrence Glick Family Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has a level III designation, the highest available in Illinois. That means we can handle a wide range of complex issues infants can face, from immature lungs and birth abnormalities to severe infection and respiratory failure. You can rest assured that, if necessary, our board-certified neonatologists are available on-site 24/7 in the NICU.

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.

Register for a class

For new or experienced parents, our programs offer the education you need to keep you and your child healthy. Take a live virtual class or self-led online class from the comfort of your own home. Virtual classes are taught live on Zoom by an Advocate Health Care registered nurse educator. Classes are recommended to begin early in your third trimester but may be taken anytime. Family or other caregivers are also welcome to enroll. Register online now.

• Prepared childbirth virtual series - 9B09
• Prepared childbirth two-session virtual class - 9B37
• Online prepared childbirth class - 9B31
• Birthing center virtual tour - 9B16
• Infant and child safety & CPR virtual class - 9C14
• Babycare virtual class - 9B12
• Online babycare class - 9B35
• Prenatal breastfeeding virtual - 9B01
• Online prenatal breastfeeding class - 9B36
• Parent and baby virtual hour - 9B38

For registration assistance call 800-3ADVOCATE. Contact the Perinatal Education Department for general class information or financial assistance at IMMC-Perinataleducaton@advocatehealth.com

Additional resources

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