Was better than I could've imagined!! I knew that I wanted to choose a Birth Center over a hospital, and I did a lot of research and did tours, and this place was the best! At first, what was most appealing was their location, staff, and resources. They are VERY close to a hospital if that is needed, and the fire department, which, if needed, could do an escort to the hospital. That gave my husband and me a lot of peace for the "just in case". The appointments were very great and informative, never fear mongered, and answered our questions thoroughly and with understanding. The staff throughout the entire process were so sweet, helpful, and involved. I loved that they had classes that you can purchase to learn more about the birthing process, as well as getting comfortable in the birthing suites and equipment they have ahead of time. Doing this before my baby came made me so comfortable using all the items they had. Then my birth experience was phenomenal! Of course, pain is still involved, but the staff was very helpful and encouraging. What I loved was that I led the show and they followed. If I had any concerns or questions, then they'd offer support or information for either myself or my husband to make a decision from there. The birthing suite was so comfortable, and my recovery was quick. The team was so amazing, I actually can't wait to have my next baby!
In short: DO NOT GO HERE. I have never felt compelled to leave such a detailed review, but I think it is so important if I can inform someone of my experience here. I’m still not sure after what happened this year to so many clients how they still have a 4.7 star rating, but if you read reviews you will find there have been others who expressed my same story and concern. I was a client at BCC and my baby was due in August. I received notice at the end of June that BCC would be temporarily closing, my remaining appointments would be cancelled, and I would have to have my baby somewhere else. They informed me of this information via a quick voicemail and only provided their sister location, Burr Ridge Birth Center, as an alternative (which is over an hour away). As I was weeks away from giving birth and now under immense stress, we decided to pivot to another option. This situation alone is quite scary, as many providers won’t accept a new patient this late in their pregnancy. Further, the lack of clear communication and options provided to help us through this stressful transition was disappointing to say the least. I was grateful I had a few weeks to figure it out, and I have a lot of empathy for the moms due in July with even less notice that they needed to pivot their providers and birth plans. Perhaps the most disappointing is how they handled the departure, how long they kept my money, and what it required to get thousands of dollars back. We paid up front and did not use all the services, so it was established right away that I would be refunded, and the $ amount I was owed. I was promised my refund for several months and never heard anything. I followed up with 4 different people continuously- over portal messages, email, and phone call. I was a cash pay client, so the refund amount was calculated right away, and they were unable to provide a valid reason for withholding my refund. They kept passing me off to someone else, or saying I would receive it by the following month, then I would hear nothing. By this time, I had my baby (and was a few months postpartum!) and already paid the other option, so we were out double the $. In November I heard and confirmed with an employee they were taking on new clients and planning to reopen in December. I still hadn’t heard back about my refund, which is an objectively unethical way to run a business. After months of patience and follow ups on my end and silence from BCC, I filed a dispute with my credit card company. I heard from BCC shortly after that I would receive my check if I cancelled my dispute with the credit card company. I want to be clear this does not at all reflect the midwives’ skills or care. There were several there that were wonderful and kind. But the turnover of midwives, ultimate closing, and lack of transparency while they held onto my money for almost 6 months (and didn’t return it until I filed a dispute with my credit card company) is not the kind of conduct you would want from a place where you hope to have your baby. I highly recommend you do NOT have your baby here.
I've never felt compelled to leave anything other than a five-star review for a business before, but my experience with the Birth Center of Chicago left a sour taste in my mouth. I'm writing this to make others aware of what struck me as weird, nickel-and-dimey billing practices. I had a total of two appointments at BCC. They were for separate pregnancies but occurred within the same insurance plan year. At both appointments, the care I received was exemplary. I cannot speak highly enough of the midwives' professionalism and compassion, which is the reason this isn't a one-star review. At the final appointment, the midwife let me know that BCC would shortly be discontinuing care for the summer because of a staffing shortage. I was sad to hear this, but also grateful she let me know so that I was able to make other arrangements. After that appointment, BCC started sending me invoices with some puzzling charges. First, BCC charged me two $50 "verification of benefits" fees--one for each pregnancy--even though both of my appointments occurred within the same plan year, my insurance coverage had not changed, and I had no deductible to meet. There was no reason they should have needed to verify my benefits a second time. Even if they wanted to re-verify out of an abundance of caution, my understanding is that it costs them nothing to verify benefits, so why charge a duplicative $50? I called the billing department several times and was initially told I could get a refund, but they later walked that back. Second, BCC billed a routine prenatal visit as a "moderate-complexity visit," so I got charged a $30 co-pay. Under the ACA, there's supposed to be no cost sharing for prenatal care. The BCC billing department told me to follow up with my insurer, which I did, but BCC is the one that inexplicably selected a non-prenatal billing code. In any event, the billing department told me the billing code could not be changed. Third, I was charged two co-pays of $10 each for filling out a single 10-question Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale screening questionnaire. Such screenings are routine and I've taken them numerous times, but this is the only time I've ever been charged in connection with one. The BCC billing department told me to follow up with my insurer, which I did, but once again these charges were a function of how BCC chose to code things rather than some mistake on my insurer's end. Ultimately I ended up paying the invoice because it wasn't worth it to keep playing this game of telephone between the BCC billing department and my insurer. I'm very thankful I ended up transferring out of BCC when I did, because I have a feeling that charges like this would have continued stacking up. I have an extremely generous insurance policy, and I've paid a total of $0 in co-pays since transferring to my current provider. I understand that BCC likely faces economic pressures that typical OB practices might not, but I would not have sought care there had I realized that I would face needless duplicative charges and cost-sharing for routine prenatal care.
At the moment of writing this review, my wife and I are owed over $5000 by BCC due to a transfer of care that occurred because of a abrupt ceasing of operations that others have mentioned and explained back in June 2025. Since then, communication has been lackluster and sparse from their leadership, leaving myself to be the one attempting to get the status for and hunt down this significant refund amount we are owed. The good faith that the BCC staff built up with my family based on the compassionate and high level of care we received has been abused and has run out. This review is my next escalation before exploring legal options to be returned the funds that has been admitted as owed via various communications as being owed, as well as the pain and suffering we have endured. It is ridiculous to have to even use this channel to try and get this matter resolved, but it’s important for the public to be aware and for accountability to be had. Please return our funds swiftly and without excuse.
We had an amazing experience at BCC. From beginning to end they made us feel comfortable and informed. The calm and confident demeanor of the entire staff was exactly what we were hoping for. This place may not be for everyone in that there is very little intervention, but they let you know that and they are prepared for the worst more than you may realize (by design). We weren’t exactly sure what our first birthing story would be, but we attribute it being so successful and beautiful to all of the staff who work at this wonderful place. We plan on having our next child there as long as my wife remains a great candidate. We can’t thank you enough for everything that you do and the passion behind your work.
