Cost of Giving Birth in Chicago

Dr. Alshahrour delivers at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, and a birth there is billed by three separate parties. Our own obstetric fee is $2,500 and covers your prenatal care, the pregnancy tests and ultrasounds you need, and Dr. Alshahrour attending your delivery or cesarean. The hospital and the anesthesia group set their own charges and bill you directly — call us at (773) 661-9049 and we will give you the hospital's current figures and ask it for a written estimate before anything is scheduled.

These are our real self-pay prices, not a national average. This page shows what each figure covers, who sends each bill, and what to do if you have insurance, qualify for Medicaid, or can't afford the full amount. Prices checked September 2026.

The short answer

For a birth with Dr. Alshahrour at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, paying without insurance:

Our obstetric fee: $2,500 — prenatal visits, the ultrasounds you need, pregnancy laboratory studies, and Dr. Alshahrour attending your delivery or cesarean
Hospital charges: set by Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital and billed by it. Call us at (773) 661-9049 for its current figures and we will ask the hospital for a written estimate in your name
Anesthesia: billed by the anesthesia group working at the hospital, and quoted with the hospital's charges
Not included: the pediatrician's fees, NICU care if your baby needs it, and newborn circumcision ($350)

These are planning figures, not a quote. A complication, a longer stay or a change of plan in labor changes the total.

Who sends the bill

A birth in the United States is not billed as one price. Three separate parties bill you, and a fourth bills for your baby:

The hospital — your room, nursing care, the delivery or operating room, medicines and supplies, and your baby's routine care while you are both there
Your obstetrician — prenatal visits, pregnancy ultrasounds and lab studies, and attending the delivery. At this practice that is one fee.
The anesthesiologist — the epidural for labor, or the spinal for a cesarean. They are billed separately even when you never meet them before the birth.
Your baby's pediatrician — newborn exams in hospital and after, billed separately under your baby's name

Knowing this matters because a "price" quoted by one of them says nothing about the other three. When you compare options, ask each party for their part.

Self-pay prices, line by line

Hospital charges at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital

Saint Mary of Nazareth sets its own charges for the delivery and your hospital stay, and bills you separately from this practice. We do not print a figure here that we cannot stand behind, so ask us for it: call (773) 661-9049 and we will give you the hospital's current prices and ask it for a written estimate in your name.

Our fee

$2,500 for obstetric care. That covers your prenatal visits, the ultrasounds you need, pregnancy laboratory studies, and Dr. Alshahrour attending your delivery or cesarean. Dr. Alshahrour attends his own patients' births rather than handing them to whoever is on call.

Anesthesia

The anesthesia group working at the hospital bills you directly, so its fee is quoted with the hospital's charges rather than ours. Ask us and we will get you the current figure for an epidural in labor or a spinal for a cesarean.

If you give birth without an epidural, that charge does not apply.

What these prices do not include

Pediatrician fees. Your baby is cared for by a separate physician who bills separately.
Special newborn care, such as the NICU, if your baby needs it.
Circumcision for a newborn boy: $350.
Care for complications that need specialists, extra tests or a longer stay.

The full breakdown also lives on our labor and delivery page, and the two always match.

Where you will give birth

Every birth in this practice takes place at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital, 2233 W. Division Street, part of the Prime Healthcare network, where Dr. Alshahrour holds admitting privileges and attends his patients' deliveries himself. The hospital sets its own charges and bills you separately from us. Call the office at (773) 661-9049 and we will get you its current figures and ask the hospital for a written estimate on your behalf. Check with your insurer that the hospital is in your network, separately from checking the doctor — the two are contracted and billed separately.

Is it cheaper to have a baby with or without insurance?

Usually not cheaper without it, although the answer depends on your plan. With insurance, what you pay is set by your deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum, not by the prices above. On many plans a birth uses up most or all of the deductible, so the out-of-pocket maximum is the number that matters.

Before choosing, call the number on your insurance card and ask:

Is Dr. Alshahrour in network for obstetric care on my plan?
Is the hospital where I plan to deliver in network? A hospital can be out of network even when your doctor is in network.
What are my deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for the year my baby is due?
Is maternity care billed as one global fee, or visit by visit?

If you don't have insurance yet: in Illinois, pregnancy itself now opens a special enrollment period. Since 2026 you can buy a plan through Get Covered Illinois within 60 days after a health professional confirms the pregnancy, without waiting for open enrollment. Compare the plan's out-of-pocket maximum with the self-pay totals above before deciding.

Illinois Medicaid (Moms & Babies) during pregnancy

This practice sees patients with Illinois Medicaid (Public Aid) and Medicare. Medicaid in Illinois is delivered through several health plans, so call us with your plan's name to confirm before your first visit.

If you are pregnant and uninsured, check whether you qualify for Medicaid before paying out of pocket. Illinois's pregnancy program, Moms & Babies:

Is for pregnant people with family income up to 213% of the federal poverty level
Has no premiums and no copays
Covers prenatal care, labor and delivery, and 12 months after the birth
Covers your baby for the first year if you are covered by Moms & Babies when the baby is born
Does not require citizenship, legal immigration status or a Social Security number

Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility can give immediate, temporary coverage for outpatient pregnancy care — visits, tests — from the day you apply, while your full application is reviewed. It does not cover the hospital stay itself, so apply for Moms & Babies at the same time.

Apply online through the State of Illinois ABE website, or ask a clinic or hospital that is an All Kids Application Agent to help. Federal Medicaid rules for some non-citizens change on October 1, 2026. Illinois says pregnant people covered by Moms & Babies remain eligible, but check the current rules with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services when you apply.

What if you can't afford it?

Don't skip prenatal care because of cost. Problems caught early are far cheaper, and far safer, than problems found in labor. There are real options:

Apply for Medicaid first. Many families who assume they earn too much are under the pregnancy limit, which is higher than for adults who are not pregnant.
Ask the hospital about the Illinois uninsured patient discount. Under the Illinois Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act, hospitals must discount bills for most uninsured Illinois residents with family income up to 600% of the federal poverty level. Eligible patients can also have what the hospital collects capped at 25% of family income over 12 months. You have to apply, so ask for the hospital's financial assistance application before or right after the birth. Ask, too, whether its self-pay price already includes that discount.
Ask about the hospital's charity care. Most hospitals also have their own financial assistance policy on top of the state law.
Ask us early. If paying our fee in one amount is a problem, say so at your first visit rather than near your due date, and ask what arrangements are possible.

Your right to a written estimate

If you are uninsured or paying yourself, federal law — the No Surprises Act — gives you the right to a Good Faith Estimate in writing before scheduled care. If the final bill comes in $400 or more above a provider's estimate, you can dispute it. Ask both us and the hospital for an estimate, and keep them. The federal No Surprises Act pages explain how the dispute process works.

Questions to ask before you choose where to deliver

Which hospital will I deliver at, and will my own doctor attend the birth?
What is the total self-pay price, and what does it leave out?
Is the anesthesiologist billed separately, and how much is it?
Who will be my baby's pediatrician in the hospital, and how do they bill?
What does each extra day in hospital cost?
Can I have a Good Faith Estimate in writing?
Do you offer a payment plan?

If you are still choosing a doctor, our guide on how to find an OB-GYN in Chicago covers what else to check.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to give birth in Chicago without insurance?

Our obstetric fee is $2,500, which covers your prenatal care, the pregnancy ultrasounds and laboratory studies you need, and Dr. Alshahrour attending your delivery or cesarean. Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital and the anesthesia group working there bill you separately, and the pediatrician bills for your baby. Call us at (773) 661-9049 and we will put the full figure together with you before anything is scheduled.

What does the $2,500 obstetric fee cover?

Your prenatal visits, the ultrasounds you need, pregnancy laboratory studies, and Dr. Alshahrour attending your delivery or cesarean. It does not include the hospital, the anesthesiologist or the pediatrician, who bill separately.

Does Medicaid cover giving birth in Illinois?

Yes, for people who qualify. Moms & Babies covers pregnancy care, labor and delivery, and 12 months after the birth, with no premiums or copays, for family income up to 213% of the federal poverty level. Immigration status does not affect eligibility for it.

Do you accept Medicaid?

Yes. This practice sees patients with Illinois Medicaid and Medicare. Illinois Medicaid is delivered through several health plans, so call (773) 661-9049 with your plan's name to confirm before your first visit.

Can I get insurance after I find out I'm pregnant?

In Illinois, yes. Since 2026, pregnancy opens a special enrollment period: you can enroll in a plan through Get Covered Illinois within 60 days after a health professional confirms the pregnancy.

Is a cesarean more expensive than a vaginal birth?

Yes. A cesarean costs more than a vaginal birth because it is surgery, it usually means a longer hospital stay, and it is billed with spinal anesthesia. Our $2,500 obstetric fee is the same either way; what differs is the hospital's charge, which comes from Saint Mary of Nazareth — call us and we will give you both figures.

Talk to us

If cost is part of how you are choosing where to give birth, call us at (773) 661-9049 or book a first visit online. We will go through your insurance or the self-pay options with you before anything is decided. You can read more about prenatal care, labor and delivery and our two offices, or see all of our pregnancy and birth care in Chicago.

About these figures

This page is general information about cost, not financial or medical advice, and it is not a quote. Prices are for self-pay patients at the time shown and can change. Insurance benefits and Medicaid rules vary and change over time. Confirm your own coverage with your insurer or with Illinois Healthcare and Family Services.