Where to Give Birth in Los Angeles? You have options!
BY: REBECCA BELENKY OF LOS ANGELES BIRTH
Choosing where to give birth in Los Angeles involves more than geography—it’s about aligning your birth setting with your values, preferences, and priorities. This article walks through the main options: home birth, birth centers, and hospital births. It highlights differences in care philosophy, intervention rates (cesarean & episiotomy), access to midwives, and special features—like water birth, delayed cord clamping, or midwife-led care. It also compares several specific facilities in L.A., mentioning how many births they handle, the presence of midwives, and how they fare on C-section and episiotomy rates. Ultimately, the goal is to help you make a choice that feels right for you, not just what looks best on paper.
When you picture your birth, what matters most?
Is it immediate access to doctors and technology? A calm, home-like environment? Or being cared for by a midwife? What are the risks you feel more comfortable taking? (Every birth location comes with a set of risks and benefits—and you get to decide which set you’re more comfortable opening yourself up to!) Your unique answers shape the kind of care that will serve you best.
Let’s explore some birth options around Los Angeles.
Sibling looking at newborn with partner doing skin to skin at a home birth.
Home-birth in Los Angeles
A small percentage of birthing families in Los Angeles chose to give birth at home. For many the idea of GOING anywhere in labor is something they hope to avoid, and midwives are skilled and experienced in low-risk birth. One of my favorite midwives in Los Angeles has a totebag that says “midwives can do it anywhere” and there are images of midwives catching babies on a bed, in a tub, on a toilet, on a birth stool. Families choose midwifery care and home birth for a myriad of different reasons— if you are pregnant I would encourage you to think about your values and beliefs are around birth. WHO would you like to be present and HOW do you want them to support you? Interview some midwives if you want to explore this safe and normal option.
Newborn exam by the midwife
Where can I have a water birth in Los Angeles? A Birth Center!
Another location to give birth in LA is with a midwife in a Birth Center. Los Angeles has numerous birth centers, here are 2 I recommend checking out. Search for more in your neighborhood if you are interested in this low-intervention option.
Moxie Birth (Pasadena/South Pasadena)
Midwife + physician collaborative care, offering water births and nitrous for coping in labor
Birthing suites—complete with deep tubs and warm lighting to support physiologic birth
Focus on bonding—delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin, and gentle newborn care
Extended prenatal/postpartum support, including home visits and lactation help
Kindred Space LA (South LA)
Black-owned, midwife-led birth center offering holistic midwifery care
Their mission: responding to the Black maternal care crisis by creating a space where birthing people feel seen, supported, and connected
Norms= Birth tub, comfortable and private labor rooms, delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin, and gentle newborn care
Birthing center or home-birth services including breastfeeding support, and prenatal education
Newborn in a hospital bassinet
What are Hospital Options in LA?
As you explore your hospital birth options two websites that provide helpful info are Leapfroggroup and CalHospitalCompare
The hospitals I highlight below have average or below average cesarean rates, and low episiotomy rates. Beware of hospitals with episiotomy rates higher than average. It is safe to assume they are not practicing in a culture of evidence based care if the episiotomy rate is higher than the around 2% state average.
Looking for a hospital can be overwhelming…look at how many choices Los Angeles has…
Look at all of the hospitals in the Los Angeles Area! Source image CalHospitalCompare.org
If you are in the Pasadena area you are probably considering Huntington Hospital. While the billboards, “Your birth, your way” and calling themselves a “Family Birthing Center” are a stretch (IMO) it is a good option in the area for standard hospital based maternity care. Here are their published statistics:
Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, CA
Midwives: No CNMs deliver here.
C-section rate (NTSV, Leapfrog 2025): 27.1%
Episiotomy rate (Leapfrog 2025): 1.6%
2,984 births last year (that is quite busy)
Source: CalHospitalCompare.org, 2025
The most popular place to give birth in Los Angeles is Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Hills. As far as hospitals go, I find it to be doula-friendly and the nurses tend to be informed and enthusiastic about fetal positioning. Something I am also very passionate about! We should note the cesarean rate is higher than other comparable hospitals. I would also add that it is a very, very, busy hospital.
Here are their statistics from Leapfrog and CalHospitalCompare.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Grove
Midwives: Yes—some CNMs on staff on Labor and Delivery floor.
C-section rate (NTSV, Leapfrog 2025): 29.3%
Episiotomy rate (Leapfrog 2025): 0.8%
6,016 births reported last year (omg, that’s a lot!)
Source: CalHospitalCompare.org, 2025
If you are considering giving birth on the Westside, UCLA is a hospital to consider. Their cesarean rate is 7% less than Cedars and low-risk pregnancies can be cared for by the midwives. The also offer nitrous oxide in addition to standard epidural for pain relief in labor.
Below you will find their CalHospitalCompare info.
UCLA Santa Monica BirthPlace in Santa Monica, CA
Midwives: Yes—part of the team.
C-section rate: 22%
Episiotomy rate: 1.4%
Around 1500 babies yearly
Source: CalHospitalCompare.org, 2025
And finally, MLK Community Hospital. It is a much quieter hospital and they have midwives fully caring for low risk pregnancies. They have a VERY low cesarean rate and the births I have attended there received excellent care. This hospital should be an example for many hospitals in the LA area. Lower cesarean rates are possible and midwifery care leads to improved outcomes for birthing families.
Check out their statistics!
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital
Midwives: Yes—CNMs deliver here.
C-section rate (Leapfrog 2025): 18.8% ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wow!
Episiotomy rate (Leapfrog 2025): 1.0%
670 births last year
Source: CalHospitalCompare.org, 2025
I’ll admit something: I have a bias toward midwifery care. Midwives play a vital role in supporting low-risk pregnancies, yet too often their care isn’t accessible to those who want it. Even in this small snapshot of Los Angeles, the hospitals with midwives consistently report lower cesarean rates. That’s not a coincidence.
You might be wondering if this means I’m “against” OBs. The truth is, I’m not. I deeply respect obstetricians and the lifesaving expertise they bring. But OBs are highly trained surgeons, and their skills are most needed in complex or high-risk situations—not in every normal vaginal birth. So why does our system default to having surgeons catch babies, when midwives are equally (and often better) suited to care for low-risk births?
Expanding access to midwifery care in the United States is more than a philosophical preference—it’s an evidence-based solution. Research shows that integrating more midwives into our system improves maternal outcomes, lowers cesarean rates, reduces costs, and increases satisfaction for birthing people. It’s not about replacing OBs—it’s about using each provider’s expertise where it’s most impactful.
Some parting thoughts…
Choosing where to give birth can feel like a huge decision—and it truly is. It deserves both investigation and reflection. But “investigation” doesn’t just mean combing through Yelp reviews, Reddit threads, or hospital websites. It also means investigating your own beliefs about birth, and listening closely to where your intuition is pointing you. At some point, tuning into your values may mean stepping back from the noise of the internet and asking yourself: what feels right for me?
The best choice isn’t just about statistics—it’s about finding a place that aligns with your values, fosters trust, and supports you thoughtfully through birth.
Read more about the difference between a midwife and doula.
Rebecca Belenky is a Los Angeles–based doula, childbirth educator, and lactation educator who has been supporting families since 2014. Through her practice, Los Angeles Birth, she offers compassionate, trauma-informed care that helps parents feel informed, grounded, and confident through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
