Short answer
Start with your doctor or midwife, since each delivers at particular places, then confirm your insurance covers that hospital or birth center. In New York, the Maternity Information Law requires hospitals to share their childbirth practices, and NYS Health Profiles lets you look up hospitals. In Connecticut, the DPH eLicense look-up confirms a facility's license. Then tour or call and ask your own questions.
General information, not medical, legal or tax advice. Doulas give non-medical support, so please take medical questions to your doctor, midwife or pediatrician.
Start with the choice you may have already made
If you already have an OB-GYN or midwife, you may have already chosen your hospital without knowing it. Doctors and midwives deliver at specific places, so the first question is simple: where do you deliver, and who covers for you when you are off call? Ask, too, whether every doctor or midwife in the practice delivers at the same hospital, since the person on call that day may be the one you see.
If you have not picked a provider yet, you can go either way. Some families pick the hospital first and then find a practice that delivers there. Our older post on choosing the hospital or the provider first talks through both orders. If you live near the state line, read our guide to giving birth across the NY-CT line too, because leave, Medicaid and birth certificates each follow different rules.
Check coverage before you fall in love with a tour
Call your insurance plan, or the number on your Medicaid managed care card, before you settle on a place. Ask whether the hospital or birth center, your provider and the hospital's newborn care are in network. Write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with and what they said.
New York's Department of Health says each health insurer in the state must cover a hospital stay for mother and newborn of at least 48 hours after a vaginal birth and at least 96 hours after a cesarean. If you choose to leave earlier, coverage extends to at least one home care visit. Check with your plan for the details of your own maternity coverage.
| What to check | Where to find it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Where your provider delivers | Ask your OB-GYN or midwife | Your provider and your hospital are usually a package |
| Insurance network | Your plan's member services line | Out-of-network care for you or your baby may cost more; your plan can explain how |
| Childbirth practices (NY) | Ask the hospital for its Maternity Information Law form | Shows rates of common procedures and rooming-in options to discuss with your provider |
| Facility license | NY: NYS Health Profiles, and ask a birth center for its Article 28 license. CT: DPH eLicense look-up | Lets you confirm the state license and, in New York, read state quality and safety information |
| Support people and doula rules | Call the labor and delivery unit | Tells you who can be with you in labor and in the operating room |
| Newborn care on site | Ask on the tour | Tells you where your baby would be cared for if more help were needed |
Use New York's official tools
New York's Maternity Information Law requires each hospital to provide information about its childbirth practices and procedures. The Department of Health's sample form lists rates for things like cesarean births, vaginal births after cesarean, births attended by midwives, fetal monitoring, epidurals, induction of labor and episiotomy, plus infant feeding and whether birthing rooms and 24-hour rooming-in are available. Ask each hospital on your list for its current version.
Read it the way the state suggests. The Department of Health says this information alone does not tell you that one hospital is better than another for you. A small hospital's rates can swing with just a few births, and hospitals that care for high-risk births can be expected to have higher rates of some procedures. It also does not describe your own doctor's or midwife's practice, so bring it to your next visit and ask how your provider's approach compares.
NYS Health Profiles (profiles.health.ny.gov) is the state's site to find quality and safety information on hospitals and other providers. A midwifery birth center in New York is a facility licensed under Article 28 of the Public Health Law, so ask any center to show you its state license.
Use Connecticut's official tools
Connecticut's Department of Public Health runs the eLicense look-up, where you can confirm the license of a general hospital and of a licensed nurse-midwife. Since January 1, 2024, Connecticut law has also required freestanding birth centers to hold a DPH license and to be accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. Ask any Connecticut birth center for both, and for its written plan for getting patients to a hospital in an emergency.
For Connecticut hospitals, the questions in the next section work just as well on a tour or a phone call to the labor and delivery unit. If the hospital you like is across the state line from your home, ask your plan about it by name. Networks follow your plan, not the map, and a hospital close by in the other state may be treated differently from one farther away in your own.
Questions to ask on a tour or call
Policies change, and they can differ by unit, so ask the hospital or center directly and write down the answers.
- How many support people may be with me in labor, and does a doula count as one of them?
- If I need a cesarean, who may come into the operating room with me?
- Does my baby stay in my room, and is 24-hour rooming-in available?
- Who helps with feeding after birth, and how do I reach them once I am home?
- What level of newborn care is on site, and where would my baby go if more care were needed?
- Do you schedule inductions at 39 weeks? ACOG says a hospital may offer this if it has the staff and resources.
- Where do we park or get dropped off at night, and which entrance do we use in labor?
- Which pain relief options are offered here, and how do I ask for them in labor?
Where a doula fits, and when the choice is medical
A doula does not choose a hospital for you and does not rank them. What a doula can do is help you turn your worries into questions, sort the answers afterward and plan the practical parts, like when to leave home and who meets you there. At Northeast Doulas, our labor doulas offer "judgement free educational, physical and emotional support" wherever you deliver. Start with our Westchester hospital list or our Fairfield County hospital list, then contact us if you want support.
Sometimes the choice is not really about tours. If you have a health condition, are carrying twins or more, or your baby may need extra care at birth, your doctor may advise a hospital with specific services. That is a medical decision. Ask your provider why, and our guide comparing hospital, birth center and home birth can help you understand the settings.
When to call your provider or 911
- Call 911 for shortness of breath, chest pain or a fast heartbeat, or a headache that does not go away with medicine or comes on suddenly. Do not drive yourself to the hospital.
- Call 911 if, during pregnancy, the baby seems to slow down or stop moving.
- Call your provider right away for vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking during pregnancy, a fever over 100.4 F, dizziness, or changes in your vision.
- When you call, say you are pregnant and how far along you are, or when you gave birth.
- If you have thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby, call 911, or call or text 988.
Quick check: a doula may not be what you need if
- You want someone to tell you which hospital is safest for your pregnancy: ask your doctor or midwife.
- You need to know whether a hospital is in your network: only your insurance plan can confirm that.
- You want a hospital's own policy: ask the hospital directly, since a doula cannot speak for it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare hospitals for giving birth in New York?
Ask each hospital for the childbirth information the state's Maternity Information Law requires, and look the hospital up on NYS Health Profiles. Then bring what you find to your provider. The Department of Health says these rates alone do not show that one hospital is better for you, so use them as a starting point for questions.
What is New York's Maternity Information Law?
It is a New York State law about childbirth information. The Department of Health says it requires each hospital to provide information about its childbirth practices and procedures, such as rates of cesarean birth, induction, epidurals and episiotomy, and whether rooming-in is available. The state's sample form is on the health.ny.gov maternity page, and you can ask any hospital for its current version.
Does a doula count as a support person in the hospital?
It depends on the hospital, and rules can change. Call the labor and delivery unit and ask how many support people you may have, whether a doula counts as one of them, and whether the answer changes in the operating room. Ask again closer to your due date, since policies are updated. A doula can help you prepare the questions before you call.
Can I switch hospitals late in pregnancy?
Sometimes, but it usually means switching providers too, since doctors and midwives deliver at specific places. Talk with your current provider first, then check that the new hospital and practice are in your insurance network and are taking new patients at your stage of pregnancy. Ask how your records will be transferred.
How do I check that a Connecticut birth center is licensed?
Connecticut has required freestanding birth centers to hold a Department of Public Health license since January 1, 2024, and to be accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. Ask the center to show you both. You can also use the DPH eLicense look-up or contact DPH's Facility Licensing and Investigations Section with questions.
Next: talk it through
When you are ready, reach out to Northeast Doulas. Call 914-736-7700 or send a message, and tell us your due date, your town and the kind of support you are looking for.
Sources
- NYS Department of Health: Maternity Information - Childbirth Services
- NYS Health Profiles: Find and Compare New York Health Care Providers
- Connecticut eLicense: License Lookup
- Connecticut OLR Public Act Summary: PA 23-147
- NYCRR Title 10, Section 795.1: Midwifery Birth Centers, Definitions
- ACOG: Induction of Labor at 39 Weeks
- NYS Department of Health: Pregnant or Just Had a Baby? Know When to Call for Help - Fast!
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Facts checked against the sources above on November 8, 2026. Rules and programs change, so confirm current details with the agency, your plan or your provider. Links to outside sites open in a new tab.
