Whether this is your first child or not, this is an event that you will cherish forever. We at OSF St. Mary Medical Center are happy to share this joy with you. At OSF St. Mary Medical Center, we know that birth is an exciting event and how you experience it is as important to us as it is to you.

The OSF St. Mary Birthing Center is large enough to provide a comprehensive range of services, yet small enough to assure individualized care for you and your family. It is a 22 bed unit with both private and semi-private accommodations an the postpartum area of the Center; two birthing rooms, two delivery rooms; and 20 bassinets in the nursery. All obstetrical services at the Birthing Center are designed to insure a safe and comfortable birthing experience.

The Birthing Center's labor rooms are private and attractive. Electronic fetal monitors are available for use during labor. Your support person may be with you at all times during the birthing process, and other family members may wait nearby in a comfortable lounge where reading materials and phones are available.

Our birthing rooms are designed to provide a safe home-like atmosphere where you can share the experience of your child's birth. The rooms are equipped with a birthing bed, color television, a telephone and a private bathroom.

If you choose a birthing room experience, approval by your physician will be needed. If any problems develop during your labor, you will be transferred to a regular delivery room. Our two delivery suites include one suite for operative deliveries.

Following the birth of your child you will spend a period of time in our recovery unit. The recovery room provides the perfect place for infant, parent, grandparent bonding. We encourage you to take this time to get to know your baby; look at those tiny fingers, count the toes, begin to feed your baby if you choose or take photographs.

After your baby's birth, rooming-in arrangement can be made. You will have a private or a VIP suite, depending upon availability. The rooms are bright and cheerful, providing a pleasant setting for you and your visitors. Each room has a bathroom and a shower, telephone, color television and lounge chair for your convenience.

OSF St. Mary Medical Center offers Lamaze Childbirth classes Lamaze Refresher classes, Diabetic Pregnancy teams and a New Brother/New Sister Club. All programs require preregistration and are free of charge if you deliver at OSF St. Mary Medical Center. If you have any questions or if you would like to pre-register for any of these programs, please call 309-344-3161 x4190.