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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.