Welcoming a baby is one of life’s most unforgettable experiences, and our Birthing Centers are designed to ensure you have access to all the support, comfort and expertise needed to make your birthing experience the best that it can be.
More pregnant women choose to receive care at MU Health Care than any other hospital in the region. Our Birthing Centers, located in Columbia and Jefferson City, are one reason why.
Our Approach to Labor and Delivery
Whether you’re planning a natural childbirth or need support for a high-risk pregnancy, we want you to feel empowered to create the birthing experience you want with the expertise you need. Our Birthing Centers are thoughtfully designed to provide comfort and offer private suites, advanced technology and expertise for prenatal monitoring, childbirth, neonatal care and postpartum care.
All maternal care is delivered on one floor for your convenience. We also offer the specialized teams and technology to support advanced obstetric care and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) when needed.
Expertise Tailored to You
Our medical team is the most experienced and specialized in the mid-Missouri region. Babies don’t have a schedule, which is why we have an obstetrician and anesthesiologist on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our team also includes certified nurse midwives, maternal fetal medicine specialists, family medicine specialists and OB/GYNs, lactation consultants and 80 other specialties available to answer your questions and meet your needs.
Conditions We Care for During Labor and Delivery
In addition to our care for average-risk pregnancies, we also offer advanced care for more complex pregnancies, including:
- High-risk pregnancies
- Gestational diabetes
- High blood pressure or preeclampsia
- Hemorrhage or bleeding
- Twins or higher order multiples
Services to Support Your Labor and Delivery
Comfortable Birthing Suites
Our birthing suites are designed to improve the comfort and safety of the delivery experience. Our Birthing Centers offer private rooms and are designed so mom can always see her baby, even if our medical staff need to offer additional support.
The centers also include multiple, spacious waiting areas for family members. In-unit washer and dryers even allow you to launder clothes if you don’t want to wear a gown.
Natural Childbirth Option
If you have a low-risk pregnancy and want to have a natural childbirth, we offer a Low-Intervention Birth Program at our Birthing Center in Columbia. The program specializes in helping women who want an unmedicated delivery or fewer medical interventions during childbirth while our low-intervention birthing suites offer a homelike atmosphere.
Gentle C-Sections
If your birth plan involves a caesarean section, we offer a gentle C-section, so you can feel more connected to your baby. We use clear drapes, dimmer lighting and your choice of music to create a calmer environment for delivery.
Best Beginnings, Close Connections
At our Birthing Centers, we want to create the best beginning and bonding experiences for new babies and their families. As a Baby-Friendly designated hospital, we encourage rooming in and use evidence-based practices, include placing healthy babies on their mother's chest immediately after delivery. This helps newborns feel safe and stabilizes their breathing and temperature. Routine procedures, such as weighing and bathing, are done at the bedside.
Group Prenatal Care
Some of our prenatal care providers offer group prenatal care (also known as the Centering Pregnancy model) where you can receive your prenatal education in a in a group setting alongside others due around the same time. Led by your doctor and a nurse, these sessions combine private checkups with education and peer support to help you feel informed and empowered throughout your pregnancy.
Prenatal Support Classes
Our team offers a variety of classes designed to help you prepare for birth and parenting. Led by experienced nurses and educators, these sessions cover topics like childbirth, newborn care, and breastfeeding — so you feel more confident and supported as your delivery day approaches.
Labor Support for Pregnant Women
With Heart Issues MU Heath Care is home to a special obstetric-cardiology clinic to help support women with known or potential heart conditions during pregnancy. Our team will coordinate with your cardiologist and maternal fetal medicine specialist, and can also provide an obstetric anesthesiologist specializing in high-risk deliveries.
Breastfeeding Support
Our nurses have special training and experience to help breastfeeding mothers and babies during their hospital stay. Internationally board-certified lactation consultants (IBCLCs) are on staff to ensure the best start to a successful breastfeeding experience.
Level III NICU With Private Rooms
Located one floor below our Birthing Center in Columbia is our highly specialized Level III NICU. The NICU has private rooms for each family and can provide on-site medical and surgical care for critically ill patients.
Dedicated OB ICU
If you require intensive care support during delivery, help is available in our dedicated obstetrics intensive care unit. This dedicated ICU offers in-room telemetry to monitor your heart as well as specialized nursing support.
Visit Our Birthing Center
Tours are available at our Columbia Birthing Center for expectant mothers who want to see for themselves the level of care and comfort available to them on delivery day. Schedule a tour to view our Children's Hospital lobby, birthing suites, low-intervention rooms and postpartum rooms.
Why Choose MU Health Care for Labor and Delivery
- Designated Baby-Friendly: Our Baby-Friendly® designation sets us apart from other hospitals in the area and demonstrates our commitment to forming lasting bonds between mothers and babies. We provide personalized support for infant feeding and early bonding, including encouraging skin-to-skin contact during a caesarean section.
- Level IV maternity hospital: MU Health Care has received the highest level of care designation, meaning we can care for the most complex maternal and fetal conditions.
- Certified nurse midwives on staff: Not all midwives have the same training, but the midwives at our Birthing Centers are nurses with specialized master’s degrees in midwifery care and offer home-based care.
