17 FL Maternity Hospitals Among Best Places To Have A Baby: U.S. News

FLORIDA — Where to have a baby is one of the most important decisions Florida parents make. To help guide them, U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.

An all-time high 817 hospitals providing labor and delivery care were evaluated but only about half were selected, U.S. News said. In Florida, 37 hospitals met the criteria for the list, including five on the Maternity Care Access Hospital.

The latter list is in its second year and recognizes 118 hospitals that serve expectant parents who might not otherwise be able to get prenatal and delivery care.

Maternity care hospitals in Florida to make the list include these 17 that are considered high performing:

• AdventHealth Zephyrhills
• Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, Miramar Beach (maternity access hospital)
• Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital
• Ascension St. Vincent’s Clay County, Middleburg
• Baptist Health Boca Raton
• Broward Health Medical Center, Fort Lauderdale
• Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, Stuart
• Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, Vero Beach (maternity access hospital)
• Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center
• Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, Bradenton
• NCH Baker Hospital, Naples (maternity access hospital)
• Parrish Medical Center (maternity access hospital)
• Rockledge Regional Medical Center
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital
• Tampa General Hospital
• UF Health Jacksonville
• UF Health Shands Hospital, Gainesville

These 10 metropolitan areas, listed in alphabetical order, have the greatest number of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care in the U.S.:

1. Chicago
2. Dallas-Fort Worth
3. Denver
4. Detroit
5. Los Angeles
6. New York
7. Philadelphia
8. Riverside-San Bernardino, California
9. San Francisco
10. Seattle

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.