Boston Medical Center: labor and delivery in Boston, MA
Boston Medical Center is a hospital in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts that delivers babies. It handled 2,567 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 32% delivered by C-section (777 such births). That is above the Massachusetts rate of 28% and above the U.S. median of 26%.
- 32%First-birth C-section rate
- 2,567Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 796Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 3 of 5Patient survey stars
- 3 of 5Overall hospital stars
Address and phone
1 Boston Medical Center Place
Boston, MA 02118
Suffolk County
Call (617) 638-8000 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: Nonprofit, Private
How Boston Medical Center compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 32% | 28% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 796 | 364 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 323 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Bottom 25% (most complications).
In Massachusetts, Boston Medical Center has the 28th-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 36 hospitals that report one.
The first-birth C-section rate counts first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby. Complication rates are adjusted for patient risk. Our data explains each number.
What patients say
- Patient survey summary: 3 of 5 stars
- 73% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 71% of patients rated this hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
Survey results cover all patients at the hospital, not only maternity patients.
Birthing-Friendly designation
Boston Medical Center holds the federal Birthing-Friendly designation. Hospitals earn it by taking part in a perinatal quality collaborative and following maternal safety practices.
Other hospitals that deliver babies near Boston
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts Medical Center | Boston | 0.6 | 29% | 1,389 | Yes |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston | 1.4 | 30% | 3,386 | Yes |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Boston | 1.8 | 27% | 4,831 | Yes |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital | Boston | 1.9 | 28% | 6,814 | Yes |
| Cambridge Health Alliance | Cambridge | 2.8 | 26% | 1,237 | Yes |
| Boston Medical Center-Brighton | Brighton | 4.0 | 30% | 434 | Yes |
More labor and delivery in Boston
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Tufts Medical Center
More in Suffolk County
- Boston Medical Center-Brighton (Brighton)
Hospitals in Boston that do not offer labor and delivery: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, New England Baptist Hospital.
All hospitals in Boston · Suffolk County · All Massachusetts hospitals