Please note our visitor badge process (outlined below).
Designed for Your Family's Comfort
Our birth center provides the comforts of home alongside the latest technology. We've thought of everything to keep you comfortable and safe.
The Froedtert Hospital Birth Center is located within Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Our obstetricians and anesthesia providers are available in the hospital 24 hours a day.
Most births go just as planned, but in the event there are complications during your pregnancy or labor you will have access to our Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists and Children’s Wisconsin’s state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care unit. With 70 private rooms, it is the largest Level IV NICU in Wisconsin.
The Birth Center's advanced capabilities eliminate the need for transfers to other facilities — whatever the complication — and provide additional assurance to parents and families.
Level IV Perinatal Center
Froedtert Hospital provides on-site medical and surgical care of the most complex maternal conditions and critically ill pregnant women and fetuses throughout antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care.
The Birth Center Experience
When you arrive at the Birth Center, our staff will evaluate you to determine the most appropriate plan of care.
Our private birthing suites are designed with the complete comfort and safety of mother and baby in mind. Each room is equipped with advanced technology and equipment, while blending comfortable, home-like surroundings. Your partner is welcome to be at your side during the birth of your baby, and our staff is available to provide all the support and assistance you need.
It is important that you understand your pain management options and remain flexible on choices to manage pain during labor. We offer many options for your comfort throughout labor, from breathing and relaxation techniques and birthing balls, to whirlpool tubs and epidural anesthesia. All pain management options are available 24 hours a day.
If a cesarean birth is needed, our Birth Center offers three state-of-the-art operating rooms located in labor and delivery. Our physicians and anesthesiologists are available 24 hours a day to provide the safest care possible to you and your baby.
Some of our amenities and patient offerings include:
- Flat-screen television
- Private spa-inspired bathroom
- Convenient room service, offering a wide variety of menu selections
- USB charging stations
- Sleeper sofa available for support person
- Free Wi-Fi
- Whirlpool
- Access to lactation consultants
After You Give Birth
Our postpartum rooms feature services and amenities designed to allow families the time they need to rest, bond and welcome their new addition in comfort. With welcoming furnishings and a soothing design and color scheme, each suite is equipped with the latest technology while offering many home-like comforts.
Your baby will stay with you after birth, unless he or she needs extra monitoring or assistance. Babies who need a little bit of extra help — such as oxygen or IV antibiotics — receive care in our Level II special care nursery, located within our Mother-Baby Unit. Staff members are available 24/7 to help parents learn how to support and care for their infants.
Babies who need advanced medical support receive care at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Children’s Wisconsin, located in the same building as our Birth Center.
Froedtert Hospital Birth Center Classes
Froedtert Hospital Birth Center currently offers both in-person birth classes or tours and online birth classes.
In-Person Classes
Pathway to Parenthood Prenatal Education Program
This seven-class series presented as a hybrid of virtual and in-person sessions by the Froedtert Hospital Birth Center covers pregnancy, labor and birth, breastfeeding, infant safety and infant care. In-person class size is very limited, so all in-person classes will also be offered virtually.
Please call 414-805-6644 for more information on scheduling and program eligibility. Download the brochure and class schedule. These classes are FREE and only available to patients delivering at the Froedtert Hospital Birth Center.
The Breastfeeding 101 and Returning to Work and Breastfeeding class are offered through the Pathway to Parenthood prenatal program. Both are available in person and virtually. The breastfeeding classes are free to patients delivering at Froedtert Hospital only. Please call 414-805-6644 to schedule your breastfeeding classes. View the class calendars.
Additional in-person birth classes include labor and delivery preparation and newborn care. The classes meet once a week for four weeks. There is also a condensed, full-day option on a Saturday. Tours are scheduled at various times to accommodate your schedule. Tours allow your to meet staff and see where your baby will be born.
Online Classes
Online classes are available from any device connected to the internet. Interactive exercises include videos, helpful tools, checklists and trackers. All of our online classes are open to moms-to-be who are delivering at Froedtert Hospital and Froedtert West Bend Hospital.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Perinatal Group
Mindfulness is an accepting and non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions and present circumstances. MBCT blends cognitive therapy and mindfulness practices. Participants familiarize themselves with modes of thinking that contribute to negative mood states and develop new relationships to thoughts to promote healthier ways of living. Research has shown this approach to be quite effective, including:
- Reducing depressive symptoms, especially in preventing recurrence of depression
- Relieving anxious symptoms
- Lowering stress
- Promoting sleep
- Supporting healthy interpersonal relationships
This group is designed for women attempting conception, those who are pregnant and those who are up to 12 months postpartum. Each session lasts eight weeks and includes at-home daily skill practice. This eight-week group is offered several times per year. For additional information or to schedule an intake appointment, please call 414-805-7296.
Froedtert Hospital Birth Center Visitor Guidelines
Anyone visiting the Birth Center needs to park in the Children’s Wisconsin parking structure (located at 92nd Street and Watertown Plank Road). Use the skywalk to enter the building and stop at the Information Desk. From there, go to the 7th floor of the Froedtert Hospital Birth Center. Upon entering the Froedtert Hospital Birth Center, you will be asked to:
- Stop at the check-in desk.
- Provide a photo ID (applies to those age 18 and older).
- Have their picture taken for a temporary ID badge.
- Wear the badge while in the hospital (please wear badge visibly above the waist).
- Return the badge at the check-in desk when you are ready to leave the hospital.
- Get a new badge if you return or if badge expires. (Badges begin to expire after 16-24 hours.)
Allow a few extra minutes for this check-in process to make the most of your visiting time.
Visitor Policy and Care Team Adjustments
Before visiting our Birth Center, please check our guidelines for visitors and face masks.
IMPORTANT: Visitors should not visit at this time if they have a fever, cough or body aches.