S3. Ep 130: Anne Nicholson Weber | Building Birth Guide Chicago: Helping Families Find Their Best-Fit Birth Provider

TL;DR Anne Nicholson-Weber of Birth Guide Chicago shares why your birth setting shapes your experience more than your OB, and how families can find providers that align with their values.

Birth Choices Aren’t One-Size-Fits-All—Here’s How One Woman Is Helping Parents Get Informed

When Anne Nicholson-Weber had her first child, she was like many new moms—excited, nervous, and entirely unaware of how much her birth experience would shape her identity.

It wasn’t a bad birth. In fact, by most medical standards, it was uneventful. But Anne left the hospital feeling like something had been taken from her: the opportunity to feel agency in the process.

That sense of disempowerment led her on a journey that would eventually shape BirthGuideChicago.com, a robust online resource for expecting families to research care providers, explore different birth settings, and make informed choices—on their own terms.

The Experience That Sparked the Mission

Anne’s second birth was radically different. She chose to give birth at a freestanding birth center, and the contrast was striking—not just in the physical environment, but in how she was treated as a birthing person.

"It wasn’t about ‘natural vs. medicated’ or ‘hospital vs. home,’" Anne explains. "It was about knowing my options and choosing what aligned with my values."

With midwives who encouraged questions and honored her voice in the process, Anne felt a deep sense of ownership over her experience. It shifted her entire outlook—and planted the seed that would grow into BirthGuide.

She realized that informed birth wasn’t just about reading books or taking a class. It was about having access to the right kind of information—locally relevant, values-aligned, and context-rich. That’s the space she wanted to create for other families.

The BirthGuide Philosophy: Questions Are Power

At the heart of BirthGuide’s approach is a simple but powerful belief: asking better questions leads to better care.

Rather than overwhelm parents with rigid opinions or fear-based messaging, the platform equips them with a framework for exploring their choices:

• What are the provider’s intervention rates?

• What’s their philosophy on birth plans?

• Do they support VBAC or water birth?

• Will they allow continuous labor support?

The goal isn’t to push parents toward one specific type of birth—it’s to help them uncover what’s most important to them and give them tools to advocate for that.

And because BirthGuide is hyper-local, families in Chicagoland can explore actual care providers and birth settings available to them, rather than sorting through generic advice that may not apply to their insurance, geography, or cultural context.

Systemic Change Starts with Individual Awareness

One of the most important takeaways from Anne’s work is that individual empowerment contributes to larger change.

The birth system is complicated. It’s not easy to overhaul. But when a growing number of parents start showing up to appointments prepared, informed, and confident, providers take notice.

Anne has seen it firsthand: When a patient asks about a hospital’s C-section rate or requests a midwife consult, it sparks dialogue. It sets a tone. And in many cases, it opens doors for more flexible, respectful care.

Knowledge isn’t just power—it’s pressure. Informed patients shape better systems, one appointment at a time.

More Than a Directory—It’s a Movement Toward Informed Birth

What began as a simple list of midwives and OBs has grown into something much bigger: a movement for maternal agency.

Families using BirthGuide can:

• Compare hospitals, birth centers, and home birth practices

• Read real stories from local parents

• Learn what questions to ask at each stage of pregnancy

• Understand their rights and options

Anne’s mission is rooted in the belief that every parent deserves to feel seen, safe, and supported—and that those feelings start with information.

The Future of Informed Birth in Chicagoland

Anne continues to update BirthGuide with new listings, resources, and tools for families. She also collaborates with birth workers, educators, and advocates to ensure the platform reflects a wide range of voices and values.

Whether you're preparing for birth, supporting someone who is, or simply passionate about improving the maternal care system—Anne’s work is a reminder that knowledge is agency, and agency is everything.

In the world of birth, there is no one “right” way. But with tools like BirthGuide, there is your way—and that’s enough.

the mama making podcast, motherhood, motherhood podcast, parenting podcast, postpartum, pregnancy, parenthood, anne nicholson-weber, birth guide chicago, choosing a birth provider, home birth chicago, birth setting options, birth planning, hospital vs midwife, cesarean rates, birth education resources, informed birth, chicago birth providers