Labor and delivery
Just as every baby is unique, so is every delivery. As your trusted care partner, we work to provide a personalized birthing experience that begins long before your first contraction and continues well after delivery.
Maternity care in Overland Park/Leawood, Kansas
Every mother wants and deserves a birthing experience that’s as joyful, comfortable and safe as possible.
At Menorah Medical Center, we are committed to helping you have that positive experience as you welcome your child into the world.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
At The Birthing Center, we provide a nurturing, secure environment with access to advanced technologies and the expertise of HCA Midwest Health physicians. We take the time to listen to your needs and preferences so you'll feel confident before, during and after giving birth.
Give your baby a healthy loving start to life
When you choose to have your baby at The Birthing Center, our staff makes sure your pregnancy, labor and delivery experience is safe and unique. Expectant mothers can receive prenatal tests and screenings at our hospital to safeguard their health and their baby's health throughout pregnancy. We also perform ultrasound imaging, so you can watch your baby grow as your pregnancy progresses.
The Birthing Center
The Birthing Center at our hospital allows mothers to deliver their babies and recover in the same room during their hospital stay. All physicians, nurses and medical equipment are brought to the mother's room. This concept is known as labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum care (LDRP) and allows families to spend private, intimate time with their newborns right after birth.
Schedule an appointment with our maternity navigator to take a tour of The Birthing Center.
Our specially designed birthing suites create a soothing environment and offer home-like amenities, such as privacy, flat screen TVs and modern décor. Expectant parents also have access to a range of additional services and amenities during pregnancy and childbirth, including:
- Baby warmers
- Breastfeeding support from lactation consultants
- Dedicated nurses and support staff for newborn and postpartum care
- Register for one of our Healthy Arrivals prenatal education classes
- Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
- Surgical suites reserved for women's services and laboring mothers
- Single-room maternity care for labor, delivery and recovery
- Sub-specialty doctors in all areas of mother-baby care
- Tours of The Birthing Center
View our birthing suites
The birthing suites at The Birthing Center are designed so that mothers can labor, deliver and remain in the same room during the entire hospital stay, ensuring patients and their families experience optimum privacy.
Diagnosis and testing
Prenatal screenings for the mother
During pregnancy, we take special care to ensure expectant mothers remain healthy and safe throughout pregnancy. This may include evaluations such as:
- Blood pressure
- Blood tests for type and Rh factor
- Microbiological examinations for infections
- Psychological aspects of screening
- Urine tests
Prenatal screenings for the baby
We offer testing services to screen for any medical conditions that can be identified in your child prior to birth. These screenings may include:
- Amniocentesis
- Chorionic villi screening (CVS)
- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP)
- Non-stress test (NST)/biophysical profile (BPP)
- Nucha translucency (NT)
- Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling
- Ultrasound
Ultrasound screenings are used to detect
We help parents see their child before they are born through regular prenatal ultrasound imaging. Through these screenings, parents can learn:
- Age of the baby
- Amount of amniotic fluid present
- Blood flow
- Causes of bleeding or pain
- Certain types of congenital abnormalities, such as those affecting the heart, head, chest, spine or extremities
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Heart rate, breathing, position and movement
- Location of the placenta
- Number of babies
- Size and rate of growth
High-risk pregnancy care
Most women experience a healthy pregnancy without complications. However, sometimes health concerns may arise that cause a high-risk pregnancy, which requires additional attention from one of our physicians. We work with our patients to determine risks and health factors that can impact pregnancy and develop plans for close monitoring and treatment, if needed.
Our doctors provide treatment and support for:
- Ectopic/tubal pregnancy
- Gestational diabetes
- Inappropriate lactation
- Miscarriages
- Persistent vomiting
- Placenta previa
- Placental abruption
- Postpartum depression
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Pre-eclampsia/toxemia
- Premature births
Neonatal intensive care
Following childbirth, some babies may require more advanced medical care than what is provided in the well-baby nursery. To meet these needs, we have an on-site Level II NICU that offers a family-centered environment so parents can remain close to their newborns.
Our NICU treats infants experiencing respiratory difficulties and other high-risk complications. We treat babies born at 32 weeks or later who require short-term treatment after birth.
The team in our NICU includes:
- Lactation consultants
- Neonatologists
- Neonatal nurse practitioners
- Registered nurses with experience in neonatal intensive care
- Respiratory therapists
- Social workers
Should your baby require a higher level of care, our neonatal transportation service has the equipment and highly trained staff needed to safely transport your child to a Level III NICU.
Maternity navigators
We want mothers giving birth at our hospital to feel confident throughout pregnancy and prepared when it's time for labor and delivery. Our maternity navigators act as an advocate, guide and friend throughout the journey to parenthood. Navigators work closely with our maternity staff to help mothers feel comfortable and remain informed about their care throughout the hospital stay.
Mothers are paired with a maternity navigator—a labor and delivery nurse—who walks them through their pregnancy plan and takes the time to outline what will happen during labor, delivery and postpartum care. Our maternity navigators provide the one-on-one care that makes our hospital such a special place to deliver your baby.
When to meet the maternity navigator
10-20 weeks gestation
- Meet and greet with your personal coach to review the services we provide
- Unit tour (if desired)
- Discuss Healthy Arrivals classes offered through Menorah
- Answer questions or concerns
28-32 weeks gestation
- Tour
- Pre-admission paperwork
- Review your birth preferences
- Consents review/signed for your upcoming delivery
Our maternity navigators will:
- Complete pre-admission paperwork
- Create and review a birth plan
- Discuss what hospital amenities are important for each patient
- Form a personal relationship and explain maternity services
- Help patients sign up for our Healthy Arrivals prenatal class
- Identify any risks or health factors that could impact pregnancy
- Provide hospital tours
- Review the partner's role during labor and delivery
- Visit regularly throughout pregnancy help them.
- Stay with the person until consciousness returns and offer to help them find a safe way to return home.
Meet our maternity navigators
Ashley Stimac, RN, BSN, IBCLC has been a dedicated OB nurse since graduating nursing school in 2006. During her time as an OB nurse, she has specialized in mother/baby couplet care, NICU, postpartum home care and served as a leader in local lactation support groups. Ashley's goal is to help advocate, guide and provide reassurance throughout your pregnancy.
During your tour, Ashley will show our birthing suites, share available hospital amenities, review health history forms, and create your personalized birth plan.
Katie Gist, RN, BSN, IBCLC has been in women's health since graduating from Texas Tech's nursing school in 2013. She has specialized in Labor and Delivery and the Obstetrics Operating Room. Katie has also earned her IBCLC in 2020 to become a lactation consultant.
Katie's goal during tours is to educate, advocate, and empower patients to feel prepared for their upcoming delivery. When she is not at work, Katie enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, and going to the lake.
Videos about our labor and delivery services
Menorah Medical Center Birthing Center Virtual Tour
A boutique and spa-like setting for your delivery. For Audio Description: https://youtu.be/Wj54G1ebuK8