Welcoming babies in Philadelphia for over 200 years
Every year, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) helps bring more than 4,000 babies into the world, combining decades of experience with individualized care for each family.
Our expert team is by your side during labor, delivery, and postpartum, listening to your requests and helping you safely bring your baby into the world. Whether you want a natural childbirth or you need advanced care for a high-risk pregnancy, HUP providers deliver personalized care that meets your medical and emotional needs.
You can trust us with your family’s care during this exciting time. We’ve received multiple awards and designations that acknowledge our commitment to providing outstanding care to every parent and baby. Our recognitions include:
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses bronze-level Beacon Award for Excellence (labor and delivery unit): acknowledges our positive work environment for nurses, patient-first care, and high collaboration among clinical staff
Baby-Friendly® Hospital: highlights our high infant feeding standards and promotion of infant-parent bonding
International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) Care Award: affirms our excellence in lactation services
Magnet® hospital for excellence in nursing care: reflects our commitment to outstanding nursing care
Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) Center of Excellence Award: recognizes our exceptional care in obstetric anesthesia (medicine that prevents pain during surgery or delivery)
Childbirth at HUP
We’re honored to help you bring your child into the world. We offer childbirth and parenting education classes to help you prepare for what’s ahead. You and a support partner can participate in person or online. A certified childbirth educator or infant care expert leads these informative classes and support groups.
You’ll come to our Perinatal Evaluation Center (PEC) when you think you’re in labor. Our team of physicians, nurses, and nurse midwives assesses you and your baby to determine if your labor has progressed far enough for us to admit you to the labor and delivery unit. We may do an ultrasound, cervical check, and monitor your baby’s heart rate.
If we see that you’re in active labor, we take you to one of our 13 labor and delivery suites. Our private suites have modern technology and amenities to keep you and your family comfortable and safe during your stay, including:
Spacious waiting areas
Lounge chairs
Private showers
Scenic views of the Philadelphia skyline
You have several options to help manage any labor pain. If you prefer pain-relieving medication like an epidural, our board-certified anesthesiologists are available 24/7 to help keep you comfortable.
Natural birth experience
If it’s safe for you and your baby to deliver naturally, our providers from obstetrics and maternity care (OB/GYN) and midwifery services can help you give birth with minimal interventions or medications. At HUP, we welcome certified doulas if you choose to have one on your support team. We also offer:
Aromatherapy and other drug-free pain management methods
Birthing balls, squatting bars, and other birthing props to help labor progress
Nurses trained in Lamaze International® natural childbirth methods
Private rooms, some with jetted whirlpool tubs
Wireless fetal monitoring so you can move freely during labor
Safe and comprehensive care
If you need a planned or unplanned cesarean section (C-section), our experienced providers are there to safely deliver your baby. You may bring one support partner into the surgical suite with you. Our nurses and anesthesiologists monitor you and your baby during surgery, making sure you both do well during the procedure.
At HUP, our team has the skill and expertise to care for birthing parents with high-risk pregnancies and conditions that may complicate childbirth. Maternal-fetal medicine providers (high-risk pregnancy specialists) are available to provide advanced care. Our compassionate team is committed to the health and safety of you and your baby during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery.
Virtual tour for expecting families
What to expect after delivery at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
You’ll spend at least the first hour after birth with your baby on your chest (called kangaroo care). This special skin-to-skin time benefits you and your baby, initiating a bond and helping them adjust to their new surroundings.
You then transition from a labor suite to a room in our postpartum maternity unit. You stay there for two to four days while you rest and recover. If your baby is healthy, they remain in the room with you so you can bond and get to know each other. A support partner is welcome to stay overnight with you as well.
To ensure your family’s safety, we have 24/7 on-site security equipped with the latest technology. Only registered visitors and staff have access to your room.
Our nurses care for you and your baby during the first few days postpartum, ensuring you’re comfortable and healing well. We teach you how to care for yourself and your newborn and answer any questions you have. If you choose to breastfeed or pump, an IBCLC visits you in your room to offer feeding support and guidance.
Your nurses, nurse midwife, and OB/GYN ensure you have the information and skills to care for yourself and your newborn at home. Before discharge, you’ll participate in our SAFE sleep program, which teaches you infant safe sleep practices that reduce the chance of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). We also make sure you know how to install your car seat and buckle in your newborn.
We offer breastfeeding support services for lactating parents. You can attend a virtual or in-person support group or make a one-on-one appointment with a certified lactation consultant. We help you learn to feed your baby with human milk, formula, or a combination of the two. We can also help you use a breast pump, bottle feed, and regulate your milk supply.
Exceptional care for infants in the HUP neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
If your baby needs time in our 30-bed Level III NICU, they are cared for by specially trained nurses and neonatologists (newborn specialists) from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). We focus on your baby’s recovery and provide advanced treatments.
We encourage you to spend as much time as possible with your baby in the NICU because it benefits their healing and development. For your convenience, we have a private room for breastfeeding parents and special consultation rooms for parents to meet with their baby’s care team.
We know that being at the hospital 24/7 can be challenging. We can communicate with you daily by phone or video conference to inform you of your baby’s care and progress if you can’t be there. We also provide AngelEye technology that allows you to see your baby and receive communications from their care team through any device.
