San Diego Hospitals Rank Among Best Places To Have A Baby: U.S. News

SAN DIEGO, CA — Where to have a baby is one of the most important decisions parents make. Prospective parents in the San Diego area are in good hands as several local hospitals ranked among the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care for 2025, released by U.S. News & World Report.

According to U.S. News' ranking, these San Diego area hospitals take very good care of new mothers and their children:

• Encinitas, San Diego Metro: Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas
• Escondido, San Diego Metro: Palomar Medical Center Escondido
• La Mesa, San Diego Metro: Sharp Grossmont Hospital
• San Diego, San Diego Metro: Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion and San Diego Medical Center
• San Diego, San Diego Metro: Scripps Mercy Hospital
• San Diego, San Diego Metro: UC San Diego Health-La Jolla and Hillcrest Hospitals

U.S. News said an all-time high of 817 hospitals providing labor and delivery care were evaluated, but only about half met the criteria for the list. Of those selected hospitals, only seven made it to the Maternity Care Access Hospital list. Maternity access hospitals listed serve expectant parents who might not otherwise be able to get prenatal and delivery care, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Jennifer Winston, U.S. News & World Report's health data scientist, said in a news release the 2025 list is the most comprehensive since the ratings began in 2021.

"These high-performing hospitals showcase exceptional care for expectant parents, demonstrating significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News," Winston said in a news release.

According to U.S. News, hospitals on the list:

• Are 47 percent more likely to be designated as "Baby-Friendly" by Baby Friendly USA, indicating a hospital has taken important steps to support breastfeeding;
• Have C-section rates 22 percent lower compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Have severe unexpected newborn complication rates 44 percent less often compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Have episiotomy rates 33 percent lower compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Have breast milk feeding rates 12 percent higher compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Are 13 percent more likely to report race/ethnicity data for both C-section and severe unexpected newborn complications compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.

The list is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.

Patch staffer Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.