Labor and Delivery

The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City is a leader in safe deliveries and has been named one of the safest places in North America to have your baby. We are proud to report 32.5% fewer cesarean section deliveries than the national average and nearly 0 birth injuries.

Caring for you and your baby is our main priority. When you choose to deliver your baby at The University of Kansas Hospital, you can trust that you and your newborn will receive the most advanced labor and delivery care available.

When you choose The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City for your labor and delivery, you are choosing a team with the highest level of safety training in North America. All our physicians, midwives, nurses and support staff are required to complete annual obstetric training that ensures everyone on your medical team is prepared to handle even the most serious emergencies.

At The University of Kansas Health System, our entire maternal care team including skilled obstetrician gynecologists (OB/GYNs), family physicians and midwives, are devoted to fostering a safe and respectful environment while providing intentional medical care to birthing people of all races, ethnicities, genders and identities.

Why is birth equity important? According to the Centers for Disease Control, the national maternal mortality rate, especially among Black and Hispanic women, continues to increase. Additionally, the maternal death rate for non-Hispanic Black women is around 3 times higher than that of non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women. With this in mind, it is important to make our culture of birth equity clear with a statement that shows our values and actions.

Birth equity statement

We LIFT our patients up for the best possible experience.

• Listen: We listen to our patients’ concerns with an open mind.
• Intentional: We provide intentional care while addressing our own implicit bias.
• Foster: Our team fosters a safe and respectful environment by providing continuous support, maintaining patient dignity and privacy, ensuring patient freedom from mistreatment and enabling informed choice*.
• Trust: We build trust with our patients through transparency and shared decision making.

*Adapted WHO recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

We offer safe, comprehensive labor and delivery services in Kansas City for women with normal or complex pregnancies. Whether you are seeking a natural birth or need a higher level of care, we can help. Your delivery options include:

• Vaginal delivery with or without an epidural
• Vaginal delivery of twins
• Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC)
• Midwifery and doula participation
• Cesarean delivery, including complex cesarean delivery requiring additional surgical expertise.

We also provide special programs for women with multiples.

According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), approximately 60-80% of women who have had a C-section can successfully and safely give birth vaginally. Vaginal birth is safer because it lowers the risk of hemorrhage, blood clots and infections. It also shortens the recovery period after delivery.

As an international leader in patient safety and one of the safest hospitals for labor and delivery in North America, we proudly encourage VBAC for the right patients. Our expert labor and delivery team in Kansas City is prepared to provide exceptional, safe care for you and your baby if you choose VBAC.

Spa-like suites provide advanced medicine in a comfortable setting. Labor and delivery suites are decorated in soothing earth tones and include window views of the Kansas City skyline. Large bathrooms feature spacious showers with room to sit during labor.

At The University of Kansas Health System, your care is tailored to your needs during pregnancy, labor and delivery. We provide family-centered care for you and your baby, encouraging your partner and other support persons to be part of your pregnancy and birth experience.

Your support person(s) can:

• Participate in perinatal education for each step of pregnancy, from conception through postpartum and newborn care
• Help make informed decisions about the mother and baby’s care during pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum
• Be present during the entire hospital stay, including labor and delivery
• Care for your newborn

Families typically stay together in the same room during labor, delivery and recovery. When possible, postpartum and newborn care are also offered in the same room by the same caregivers. If your delivery requires surgical intervention, such as a medically necessary cesarean, operating rooms are close by for your safety.

Whether you’re expecting a routine birth or know your baby will need special care, we are here for you. Our experienced team is ready to support planned births as well as the most challenging emergencies.

If your baby needs care in the NICU, you’ll have access to your newborn at all times, and you will be included in routine care whenever possible.

At The University of Kansas Health System, you and your family can rely on the most comprehensive labor and delivery services in academic medicine:

• Complete post-pregnancy care
• Access to a Level 3 NICU
• Seamless transition to the nation’s first Level 3 Patient-Centered Neonatal Medical Home
• Complete pediatric primary and specialty care

You don’t have to be in Kansas City to get labor and delivery services from The University of Kansas Physicians.

Olathe Campus

Olathe Health joined The University of Kansas Health System in January 2023. Thanks to that, we are now providing the latest in OB-GYN care in Olathe. Additionally, Olathe Campus OB-GYN specialists provide labor and delivery services at Olathe Medical Center's The Birth Place. There, you can enjoy luxury amenities in a suite and a state-of-the art newborn monitoring system with a well-baby nursery. There’s also a Level II NICU, if needed.

Great Bend Campus

In Great Bend, Kansas, and beyond, consider care with the Women & Children's Center at our Great Bend Campus. Its Birth Center is a labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum unit with quality medical and nursing care, 24-hour anesthesia services and a Level I nursery.