These 4 Hospitals Are The Best Places To Have A Baby In NH: U.S. News

NASHUA, NH — Where to have a baby is one of the most important decisions New Hampshire parents will ever make.

To help guide them, U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.

U.S. News said an all-time high of 817 hospitals providing labor and delivery care were evaluated, but only about half were selected. In New Hampshire, four hospitals met the criteria for the list. None were named to the Maternity Care Access Hospital list, which 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 New Hampshire evaluated include:

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, Elliot Hospital in Manchester, and Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua.

Elliot Health System Chief Nursing Officer Martha Dodge said the hospital was “proud to provide the highest level of maternity care” and noted the recognition “demonstrated the excellence and compassion our maternity services team offers.” She added, “As a nonprofit health system in Manchester, we are dedicated to bringing these high-quality services to all families who need them in our region.”

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

Among 10 hospitals evaluated in the Boston metro area, six are included on the list.

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.