Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center: labor and delivery in Waterloo, IA
Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center is a hospital in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa that delivers babies. It handled 622 deliveries in 2025. Of first-time mothers with a full-term, single, head-down baby, 30% delivered by C-section (145 such births). That is above the Iowa rate of 24% and above the U.S. median of 26%.
- 30%First-birth C-section rate
- 622Deliveries in 2025
- YesBirthing-Friendly designation
- 287Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries
- 3 of 5Patient survey stars
- 4 of 5Overall hospital stars
Birth services at Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center
- Newborn care: Level II special care nursery
- Private labor and delivery rooms
- Midwifery care
- Doula support
- Epidural and pain relief options
- VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) support
- Lactation consultants
- Skin-to-skin time after birth
- Childbirth and parenting classes
- Birth center tours
- High-risk pregnancy and maternal-fetal medicine care
Tour, class and care-team details are on the hospital's maternity page.
Address and phone
3421 West Ninth Street
Waterloo, IA 50702
Black Hawk County
Call (319) 272-8000 Directions
- Emergency department: Yes
- Hospital type: Acute Care hospital
- Ownership: Nonprofit, Church
How Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center compares
| Measure, 2025 | This hospital | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-birth C-section rate | 30% | 24% | 26% (median) |
| Severe complications per 10,000 deliveries | 287 | 204 | 285 |
| Severe complications, not counting transfusion-only cases, per 10,000 | 79 | – | 68 |
Severe-complication ranking among U.S. hospitals: Middle 50%.
In Iowa, Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center has the 39th-lowest first-birth C-section rate of 43 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
- 65% of patients would definitely recommend this hospital
- 64% 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
Mercyone Waterloo 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 Waterloo
| Hospital | City | Miles | First-birth C-section rate | Deliveries, 2025 | Birthing-Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Hospital | Waterloo | 4.3 | 20% | 1,026 | Yes |
| Waverly Health Center | Waverly | 19 | – | 69 | Yes |
| Floyd County Medical Center | Charles City | 44 | 26% | 122 | Yes |
| Regional Medical Center | Manchester | 45 | 22% | 224 | Yes |
| Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital and Clinics | West Union | 45 | – | 77 | – |
| St Lukes Hospital | Cedar Rapids | 48 | 28% | 2,231 | Yes |
More labor and delivery in Waterloo
All hospitals in Waterloo · Black Hawk County · All Iowa hospitals