The Most Luxurious Birthing Suites in the U.S.

Choosing Where to Give Birth

When it comes to giving birth, the most important thing is ultimately the quality of your medical care. However, hospitals are upping the ante on their labor and delivery amenities to make even non-celebrities feel pampered—and surrounded by the best medical technology—even in the throes of labor. "Hospitals in general are putting a bigger emphasis on patient experience," says Charlotte Ipsan, chief administrative officer of Norton Women's Care in Louisville, KY. "I really do feel that patients expect good medical care, and that's a given. The experience is a controllable variable and we're here to make sure the patient experience is as good as it can be." Here are just a few of the hospitals around the country that are setting the birthing bar high when it comes to those experiences.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

VIP delivery suites are designed to look like the outdoors. Medical supplies are stored away in wood-paneled cabinets and lighting drops down from the ceiling. A special menu caters to moms with dietary restrictions, and food is delivered by a tuxedo-wearing "food ambassador." Rooms come with a flat-screen TV, XM satellite radio, a private bathroom, a refrigerator, and a warming bed for baby.

Rose Medical Center in Denver

Physicians who attend this hospital are able to monitor patients' labor progress from their smart phones, even if they're away from the hospital. Birthing rooms have private bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubes, birth balls, rocking chairs, squat bars, and flat-screen TVs. After giving birth, VIPs can enter one of Rose's six luxury suites, where they're offered the services of a private chef.

Giving Birth: What To Bring to the Hospital

Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles

Kourtney Kardashian, Rachel Zoe, and Victoria Beckham are just a few of the celebs who have given birth here recently. The "deluxe maternity suite package" includes personal doula and a three-room suite for $3,784. Mom can also treat herself to an in-suite manicure, pedicure, or haircut, adding a spa-like touch to labor and delivery. Make your reservation for a suite in advance -- there's a baby boom in Hollywood right now.

Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital in Columbia, S.C.

The Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital in Columbia, S.C., features an on-site spa called Healing Waters. Patients also have access to fresh, local food from the in-house chef whenever they feel like calling room service (between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.). The new campus is designed to feel like home, with open spaces called the front porch, back porch, living room, dining room, and family room and details that include indigenous rocks and outdoor plantings to put an emphasis on the natural world.

The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City

If it's good enough for Gwyneth Paltrow, it's good enough for us. Granted, many of us can't afford an extra $1,100 a day for a deluxe room with views of Central Park (on top of our regular medical bills). But for those who do want to splurge, New York City's Mount Sinai on Fifth Avenue offers lovely private rooms and even private duty nursing for an extra fee. The hospital also offers access to a midwifery program, a newborn photo session with Gaga Baby Photos and access to massage therapy—for babies and moms! The hospital, which handles about 7,000 births a year, boasts cutting-edge technology and a Level IV NICU with nurses who are specially trained to treat the tiniest babies.

The Women's & Children's Hospital at Centennial in Nashville

For celebs outside of New York and Los Angeles, there's this star-worthy birthing facility. Eric Church and his wife welcomed a son at the hospital earlier this year. To prepare for the birth of their child via surrogate, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban reserved part of the top floor; they were able to use a special entrance via the service elevator to avoid unwanted attention. But even if you're not a celebrity, Centennial offers 24/7 concierge service to handle a variety of requests, from making sure your car gets an oil change to delivering food from Nashville-area restaurants. Talk about getting the star treatment!

St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City

Both Natalie Portman and Alicia Keys chose to deliver their babies at this Upper West Side hospital. It's reported that Alicia Keys rented out half of the hospital's entire labor and delivery suite, which was roomy enough for a 12-person sleepover. Women who are expecting healthy births two options: the homey Birthing Center or the traditional Labor and Delivery Unit, which is located on the floor above.

Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City

Months before Beyonce was set to give birth to daughter Blue Ivy at this Upper East Side hospital, she and hubby Jay-Z reportedly commissioned the remodeling of several birthing suites that are now fit for royalty. The "suite" package that they're said to have reserved has four flat-screen TVs, a kitchenette, and both a couch and bed for Jay-Z.

The Mother Baby Center at Abbott Northwestern & Children's in Minneapolis

The Mother Baby Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis is a bright, airy $50 million facility that opened in 2013 and ushered in a wave of shiny new birthing facilities throughout the Twin Cities area. At the center, laboring moms can take advantage of integrative medicine options that range from acupressure and acupuncture to massage and guided imagery. The hospital also offers water births as long as moms meet certain criteria (and sign consent forms, of course). The waiting area is bright and open (it's called "Celebration Plaza") and even includes a kid's play area for visiting siblings and cousins. Brilliant.

St. David's Women's Center of Texas in Austin

The St. David's Women's Center of Texas in Austin wants you to know that it "is not all things to all people; it's all things for women." Sorry, guys! But when it comes to giving birth, it's all about the mamas here. Boasting a brand new facility with state-of-the-art technology and lovely aesthetics, the hospital is the only health center in central Texas to allow nurse midwives in the delivery room. As with many hospitals today, St. David's has a family-centered approach, with mothers and healthy infants kept in the same room after delivery. The center also has a Ronald McDonald Family Room that provides care and comfort for families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Norton Women's & Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, KY

The Norton Women's and Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, KY opened in 2014 and offers plenty of amenities for expecting moms, including prenatal yoga classes and in-room spa services. For those moms who need to be hospitalized prior to giving birth, the hospital's antepartum area has a garden adjacent to the rooms to make their time there feel less like a hospital stay (which can feel like heading into a black hole) and more like a restful respite—and someplace where you can even hold a baby shower. Most moms will labor, deliver and recover in the same room, with baby right there with them, and their doctors can continuously monitor them and their babies on their smartphone. Plus, the hospital offers cutting-edge neonatal intensive care units—including a level III NICU for babies who need the highest level of medical intervention.

New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City

Celebs such as Bethenny Frankel and Iron Chef's Donatella Arpaia like this Upper East Side hospital for its top-notch doctors and (for an additional charge) sweet digs. Suites offer bathrooms with marble floors and Italian bed linens, and VIP mommies can order their meals from an elaborate menu, with waiter service.

The BirthPlace Santa Monica—UCLA Health, Los Angeles

The BirthPlace Santa Monica, part of the UCLA Health network, knows how to celebrate new babies and their moms. The hospital's seven deluxe suites (an extra $330 per night) feature a VIP menu of food options, a personal refrigerator, two TVs and other amenities. The hospital provides a "celebration breakfast" for new dads/partners as well as a "celebration tea" for families every afternoon. You can also opt to have newborn portraits taken of your baby, and you'll take home a souvenir birth certificate as a memento of your hospital stay (along with your baby). You'll be wondering if you just had a baby or checked into a hotel!