Pittsburgh Birth Insider: Hospital and Out-of-Hospital Options
When you’ve been in birth work for a while you learn a thing or two, not only about the process of birth but a lot about the birthing facilities available to families in our area. There are several hospitals in the larger Pittsburgh area to choose from. Kate and I have not been to all of them, but we are often well known in the major birthing hospitals in the Pittsburgh area.
This blog is not intended to focus on negative aspects of any birthing facility. Every place will have families who have had less than ideal sometimes horrible/traumatic experiences and every place will have families who rave about how incredible their birthing experience was at the same facility. We present to you a facility guide about options we have experience in attending while at births and facts we know about these places.
Hospitals In Pittsburgh:
Magee Women’s Hospital
Magee delivers more babies in the Pittsburgh area by a long shot. I’ve heard some say that was something very appealing to them and others say that it was a huge turn-off. There are a lot of excellent things that a large hospital like Magee has that make them a frontrunner in many ways in our area. Because Magee delivers so many babies they see a lot of different births, different people, and different situations. They are equipped to handle emergencies and have a level III NICU, which may be important to some families. They have 2 Midwife practices, including the newly added Midwives from the Midwife Center’s after the closing of Mercy hospital’s L&D unit (*Note that during the pandemic The Midwives at the Midwife Center are not following their transfers out to the hospital). Their facility is conveniently located in the Oakland area and is easy to get to for many people. Because Magee serves a diverse group of families you often see some of the more progressive practices and policies. One of the biggest advantages that Magee has over other hospitals in the area is that if you have a doula as part of your birth, they are allowed to support you in the OR if a cesarean birth is necessary (as long as it is not an emergency, which in most cases your partner wouldn’t even be able to join you). Your birth doula does not count against you in your room for how many people are with you at the time of birth. Their facility also has birth balls and birth bars in every room. Peanut balls are also easily requested, including an extra large peanut ball for resting your body over. They have a few rooms with tubs. Big hospitals like Magee also offer 24/7 anesthesiologists if you would like an epidural anytime. They usually can get to you quickly. A huge advantage that Magee recently added for all laboring women is the use of Nitrous! They offer breastfeeding support groups and IBCLC’s for postpartum. Their cafeteria is decent but there are so many places to order from in the area. Some drawbacks is that we do see them get really busy at Magee. Birth rooms open up, but we have seen some families in limbo waiting in triage. The parking fees are also something to not be surprised by. It’s not uncommon for us to pay $20+ in parking so multiple that by 2 or 3 for families that are there during their stay.
Pros:
Level III NICU
2 largest midwife practices
Easy location
Progressive OR policies for families
Photography friendly
Most comfort tools available to laboring mothers
Nitrous now available
Places to Order Out:
Oishii Bento
Panera Bread
Dave and Andy’s Homemade Ice Cream
Five Guys
Piada Italian Street Food
West Penn
West Penn is the second largest birthing facility in the Pittsburgh area. It is part of the Allegheny Health Network. It is a bit of a maze the first few times getting to the L&D unit with the different elevators and long halls. West Penn is located in the Bloomfield area with stellar food options like Oakland! Their birthing rooms are very nice and clean with ample space. Their rooms are quite large. Some offer beautiful views of the area. They also have a few rooms with tubs, though they have been more strict with their usage in our experience. They usually have balls at the request of the family. We have worked with some of the most caring and wonderful nurses at this facility. West Penn has recently expanded their NICU to a state of the art facility with private sleep-in rooms, and even special rooms for twins. It is a level III NICU and is also right next door to Children’s Hospital. West Penn has been both doula friendly, and for the most part photography friendly. Some of our clients have needed to be more firm with staff at West Penn about us capturing their birth stories. We are sometimes asked not to photograph staff members faces. They have a photography policy and we always encourage our clients to talk with their practice about our presence but the biggest no-no at West Penn is crowning photos of the vaginal area. They are pretty strict about video, though we have made a few birth films at West Penn. We have had to advocate for that fairly hard and it can be stressful to navigate for our clients. It’s really best for you to be upfront about birth films beforehand and show your OB what ones would look like from us to put staff’s minds at ease. We have been welcomed at West Penn many times now and enjoy working there.
Pros:
Great location
State of the art NICU expansion
Doula and photography friendly (with a few considerations and advocacy)
Ample caring nurse staff
Very large, beautiful birthing rooms
Places to Order Out:
Angelos Pizza
Baby Loves Tacos
Pad Thai Noodle
APTEKA
Jefferson
Jefferson is in MY (Jessica’s) neighborhood! It’s 10 minutes from my home here in Pleasant Hills. It is the newest facility in the Pittsburgh area, opening its doors in 2013. Jefferson is part of the Allegheny Health Network, same as West Penn. It is a smaller suburban hospital that is gaining more and popularity here in the South Hills. Jefferson is the only other hospital in the Pittsburgh area, next to Magee, that offers a full midwife practice at their facility. We have had nothing but positive experiences with the Midwife practice here, along with their OB group they consult with. Jefferson hospital looks just like West Penn but less busy and a little more low-key. The rooms are large, clean, and nice just like a West Penn. We have been welcomed both as doulas and as photographers in their facility by the midwife practice and OB groups. Their policies are same as West Penn but it is always important to tell your providers of our presence. The policies are the same as West Penn. So if you are looking to not drive out to the city or if you are interested in midwifery care that is not part of the UPMC network then Jefferson just might be for you.
Pros:
Level II NICU
Midwife Practice
Less busy than the bigger city hospitals
Large birthing rooms
Really close to Jess if you hire us!
Places to Order Out:
Panera Bread
Chipotle
Gali’s Gyro and Grill
Yolis
Bull River Taco
Peace, Love, and Little Donuts
Other Choices
There are many other suburban and rural hospitals that are important out here in the Pittsburgh area that we serve but have not had the opportunity to work at or have not worked at as often. Washington Hospital out in Washington hospital was doula and photography friendly when I worked there before. It is a smaller, facility. I had a wonderful experience at St Clair Hospital one time I was able to attend a birth there. Forbes Hospital out in the Monroeville area is larger suburban facility that we have yet had the opportunity to go out to. Butler Memorial Hospital up in Butler is another small rural facility. We have heard that they may not be as photography friendly, so we’d encourage you to talk with your provider about us. Heritage Valley Sewickley is another suburban hospital very close to Kate. We are not sure how doula or photography friendly they may be. UPMC Farrell is another hospital way up North that we have never been to but has a midwife practice! There are a handful more rural hospitals as options in Western PA as well.
Out-of Hospital Facilities in Pittsburgh
The Midwife Center
Welcome to the largest free-standing birth center in the nation. Their new expansion really took the facility to the next level for Pittsburgh families! We are fans The Midwife Center so much so that Kate has been with them for all three of her pregnancies/births. Perhaps you are not sure what this place is or what they do. The birth center is a comprehensive birthing facility that provides gynecological care, low-risk deliveries at the facility, childbirth education, postpartum support including therapists and groups. They have home-like luxury rooms that every family has the opportunity to birth in when laboring at the center. All the rooms have large jacuzzi tubs (I cannot tell you how important these kinds of tubs were for my own first birth!!), large showers, hanging slings, birth balls, birth stools, and non-hospital beds that couples can be in together. The Midwife center focuses on natural methods to cope with labor so you will not be able to get an epidural if you are laboring at the facility. We know that this can be a deal-breaker for some families, but the practice makes sure you have the education and tools stacked in your favor to succeed in natural childbirth. The Midwife Center offers short-term pain medication that lasts 1-2 hours if you need to try to sleep/reset, and were the first facility in the Pittsburgh area to offer nitrous-oxide to families. If birth becomes complicated or overwhelming they accompany you to Magee, where you will still be under their care and can then receive an epidural if it is your wish (*Under the pandemic they cannot follow families over to Magee, unfortunately). With any out-of-hospital option you may risk out in pregnancy or birth for various reasons. This can be an emotional disappointing experience and one that is important to consider and must be okay with if you are going with a practice that works with low-risk pregnancies. Kate and I have a really solid relationship with The Midwife Center. We are able to capture everything/anything for our clients. How safe is it to deliver outside of the hospital though? What risks are you taking? Well, if you are low-risk pregnancy you can be a lot safer delivering in a birth center since they have considerably lower cesarean rates, infection, etc. Rest assured that all the midwives have extensive years of formal education, training, all holding master degrees in nursing (specializing in childbirth midwifery care). Midwives are experts in childbirth. They can transfer to the hospital extremely quick an emergency situation. We love that the midwife center is another facility centrally located in the heart of the city, easy to get to for most families. The Strip District is the mecca of awesomeness in Pittsburgh. There are so many places to eat and walk around to.
Pros:
Nations largest free-standing birth center
Luxury birth rooms for everyone
Jacuzzi tubs
All in one comprehensive care from pregnancy to postpartum support
Nitrous
Practices and transfers to Magee, or West Penn (depending on insurance)
Super doula and birth photography friendly
No restrictions as to who can be in your birth room, including siblings (*except during the pandemic)
Places to Order Out:
Salem Halal
Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor
Kaya
Smallman Galley
Gauchos
S&D Polish Deli
DeLuca’s Diner
Pamela’s Diner
Home Birth
I hope you are all still reading! Can you have a home birth in Pennsylvania? Is it legal? The answer to all those questions is yes. If you type in home birth in Pennsylvania Google will probably tell you that there are no laws that regulate home birth in our state, making it “a-legal.” To simplify all this, here is the easiest breakdown. CNM (Certified Nurse Midwives) are the ones you will find at The Midwife Center and any Midwife practice in the Pittsburgh area hospitals. They do not attend home births in the state of Pennsylvania at this time. CM (Certified Midwives), CPM (Certified Practicing Midwives) and Direct-entry, Lay midwives all practice at home. You will find midwives that focus primarily on the Amish population but there are still plenty of midwives that take on everyday non-Amish families. Kate and I are pro-home birth friendly doulas/birth photographers. I (Jessica) had a home birth myself for my second child in Colorado. Kate and I are more than happy to recommend home birth midwives to your family here in the Pittsburgh area, but there are some midwives we are not comfortable working with based on previous experiences. There are plenty great midwives out here and it is important to interview, research, and decide if this option is for you. Just like the Midwife Center there is always the possibility of risking out of delivering at home. If an emergency occurs your midwife should be able to recognize it right away and not be hesitant to transfer. Real urgent emergencies will be through ambulance but a lot of transfer situations in home birth are getting in a car and your partner and midwife taking you to a hospital. Your midwife should always go and stay with you. You will also be paying out-of-pocket for your home birth here in PA. Some midwives can try and help you get reimbursed by insurance but I have no idea if it can be successful. The cost of a home birth is significantly cheaper than a hospital birth.
Pros:
You are in the comfort of your home
All the natural remedies available to you
one-on-one care with someone you trust and get consistent answers to your questions
No restrictions to who is there, how you want to birth, unconventional ideas and methods are not frowned upon or judged
Birth is captured by us with no restrictions
Can be a healing, empowering, spiritual experience
Places to Order Out:
Well, I’d be happy to make you whatever you want as long as you have food in your fridge!!
