Pregnancy and postpartum care in Philadelphia.
A plain guide for Philadelphia moms: where to deliver, what Medicaid covers, free help in the city, and the warning signs that matter for a full year after birth.
Key takeaway
Five hospitals in Philadelphia deliver babies. If you have Medicaid, you stay covered for 12 months after birth. Most serious problems happen after you go home, so know the warning signs and keep support close for the whole first year.
Philadelphia has some of the best hospitals in the country. It also has a hard truth: most serious problems after pregnancy happen after you go home. This guide covers where to deliver, what Medicaid covers, free help in the city, and the warning signs to know for the whole first year.
Where babies are born in Philadelphia
As of October 2026, five hospitals inside the city have labor and delivery units.
Hospital | NICU |
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania | Level III |
Pennsylvania Hospital | Level III |
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital | Ask on your tour |
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital | Ask on your tour |
Temple Women & Families Hospital | On site |
Two recent changes matter. Temple University Hospital Main Campus stopped delivering babies on September 3, 2025, and births moved to Temple Women & Families Hospital on East Wyoming Avenue. Prenatal visits still happen at Main Campus. Just outside the city, Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Delaware County closed in May 2025.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has its own birthing unit, the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit. It is for families whose baby has a known birth defect found before birth, such as a heart condition or spina bifida. It is not a general maternity unit. Your maternal-fetal medicine doctor would refer you.
Questions to ask on a hospital tour
What level is your NICU, and can my baby stay here if they need intensive care?
Who can stay overnight with me after the birth?
Will a lactation consultant see me before I go home?
How will you check my blood pressure after I leave?
Who do I call at night if something feels wrong after discharge?
What Medicaid covers after birth
If you have Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (Medicaid), your coverage now lasts 12 months after your pregnancy ends. It used to stop at 60 days. The change took effect on April 1, 2022. That full year matters, because many serious problems show up well after the six-week checkup.
What | After birth |
How long Medicaid lasts | 12 months |
Doctor and nurse visits | Covered |
Mental health and substance use care | Covered, through CBH in Philadelphia |
Certified doula care | Covered, may need a clinician’s recommendation |
Medicaid health plans in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is in the HealthChoices Southeast zone. These plans cover physical health care:
Health plan | Phone |
Geisinger Health Plan | 855-227-1302 |
Jefferson Health Plans EverWell | 800-553-0784 |
Keystone First | 800-521-6860 |
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan | 800-414-9025 |
UPMC for You | 800-286-4242 |
Mental health and substance use care for Medicaid members in Philadelphia goes through Community Behavioral Health (CBH). Call CBH Member Services at 888-545-2600 to find a therapist or treatment program. To find a doula, ask your health plan which certified doulas are in network.
Free and low-cost help in the city
Program | What you get |
WIC | Healthy food, breastfeeding help and nutrition support for moms and kids under 5. Run by North, Inc. U.S. citizenship is not required. |
Healthy Start | Case management, home visits, health education and breastfeeding support. |
Nurse-Family Partnership | A nurse visits you at home. For first babies, Philadelphia residents, income under 250% of the poverty level. Enroll before 28 weeks. |
Maternity Care Coalition | Home visiting, doula matching, free childbirth workshops and lactation support. |
Family Connects | A free nurse home visit after birth, if you deliver at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia. |
Pacify app | Free video calls with lactation support. |
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health also runs a community doula program, lactation support and the Safe Sleep crib program. Find them at Philly Loves Families. Statewide WIC line: 1-800-WIC-WINS.
Why the year after birth matters
Philadelphia reviews every death during or after pregnancy. Its most recent report, covering 2019 to 2023, found:
Finding | Share |
Pregnancy-related deaths that happened after the birth | 73% |
Happened more than six weeks after birth | 41% |
Caused by unintentional drug overdose, the leading cause | 32% |
A mental health condition likely contributed | 42% |
Judged preventable | 90% |
The lesson is simple. Care can’t stop at the six-week checkup. Checking in, catching warning signs early and getting help fast is what changes outcomes.
Warning signs to know
These signs matter for up to a year after birth, not just the first few weeks.
If you have | Do this |
Chest pain | Call 911 |
Trouble breathing | Call 911 |
A seizure | Call 911 |
Thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else | Call 911 |
Bleeding that soaks a pad an hour, or egg-sized clots | Call your doctor or midwife |
An incision that isn’t healing | Call your doctor or midwife |
A red, swollen, painful or warm leg | Call your doctor or midwife |
A temperature of 100.4°F or higher | Call your doctor or midwife |
A headache that won’t go away, or one with vision changes | Call your doctor or midwife |
If you can’t reach your provider, call 911 or go to the emergency room. Tell them you recently had a baby.
If you are struggling emotionally
Feeling overwhelmed, anxious or low after a baby is common, and it is treatable. You don’t have to wait until it feels like a crisis.
Who to contact | How to reach them |
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline | 24/7, in English and Spanish. |
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | 24/7. |
Philadelphia Crisis Line | Any time. |
Postpartum Support International | 8am to 11pm ET. Support and referrals, not a crisis line. |
Where Phia fits
A licensed perinatal medical group you text. Phia doesn’t replace your OB. It covers the stretches between visits.
01
Every message is checked
A nurse steps in when something looks wrong, day or night.
02
Phia remembers you
A headache this week is read alongside last week’s blood pressure.
03
Help that follows through
Phia connects you with programs like these, then checks that you got care.
Between visits, Phia is there.
16 min
Median time for a clinician to pick up a flagged concern
Any language
Text Phia from the phone you already have. No app to download.
Common questions.
Which hospitals in Philadelphia deliver babies?
As of October 2026, five: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital and Temple Women & Families Hospital. Temple University Hospital Main Campus stopped delivering babies in September 2025.
How long does Medicaid cover me after I give birth in Pennsylvania?
12 months after your pregnancy ends. Pennsylvania extended postpartum Medical Assistance coverage from 60 days to 12 months on April 1, 2022.
Does Pennsylvania Medicaid cover doulas?
Yes. Pennsylvania Medicaid covers care from certified doulas who are enrolled with the program. A doctor, midwife or other clinician may need to recommend it, so ask your health plan how to get started.
Is Phia available in Philadelphia?
Yes. Phia works by text, in any language, from pregnancy through postpartum. It costs $19 a month, and some employers and health plans offer it at no cost. Phia is not an emergency service. If you need help now, call 911.
Sources: Penn Medicine labor and delivery pages (HUP, Pennsylvania Hospital). Temple Health, “Labor and delivery services moving to Temple Women & Families Hospital,” 2025. Philadelphia Family, maternity care guide, September 2026. CHOP Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit. PA DHS bulletin 99-22-01, postpartum coverage extension, 2022. PA DHS HealthChoices MCO list, 2026. Community Behavioral Health. PA Department of Health WIC agencies. Philadelphia Department of Public Health, ReACH programs and Philadelphia Maternal Mortality Report 2019–2023 (2026). Maternity Care Coalition. Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership. CMS State Plan Amendment PA-25-0003 (doula services). AWHONN POST-BIRTH warning signs. HRSA National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. 988 Lifeline. Postpartum Support International.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Programs, phone numbers and hospital services change, so confirm details directly. Phia is not an emergency service. If you need help now, call 911.
