Birthing Services

Birthing Services

Delivering

Life's
Greatest Gift

MEEKER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL BIRTHING CENTER
SERVING CENTRAL MINNESOTA

At Meeker Memorial our goal is simple …  to make the birthing experience as comfortable as possible for everyone involved, but especially for mom and baby.  Our team of nurses and providers are committed to providing thoughtful, evidence-based care. 

Our Services Include:

Tour Our Birthing Center

Doctors who Deliver

Our team of compassionate and highly skilled physicians work in concert with our nursing staff to provide you with a personalized experience. From natural childbirth support (birthing balls, aroma therapy) to advanced pain management techniques (epidural anesthesia and other medications) you and your baby will receive the best care possible through all stages of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.

Janell R. Haiwick, MD

Family Medicine with Obstetrics

Kristen Beikirch, MD

Family Medicine with Surgical Obstetrics

Whitney Reents, MD

Family Medicine with Surgical Obstetrics

Cassandra J. Bulau, MD

Family Medicine with Obstetrics

Care That Grows With You

Three moms share their personal birthing experiences at Meeker Memorial, highlighting the compassionate care and support they received throughout their journey.

In-Person Birthing Classes

Bringing a baby into the world is one of life’s most powerful experiences. Our childbirth class is designed to help you and your birth partner feel informed, prepared, and supported every step of the way. Our goal is to help you approach labor and birth with confidence, calm, and clarity.

What You’ll Learn at Meeker Memorial Hospital’s Birthing Class:

  • Understanding Labor: The stages of labor and what to expect physically and emotionally.
  • Comfort & Coping Techniques: Breathing, relaxation, massage, movement, and positioning for comfort and progress.
  • Birth Partner Support: How partners can be active, confident advocates during labor and delivery.
  • Medical Options & Interventions: Learn about pain relief choices, induction, and cesarean birth.
  • Postpartum & Newborn Care: What to expect in the first hours and days after birth—recovery, feeding, bonding, and newborn basics.

Why Take a Birthing Class

  • Reduce fear and anxiety about labor
  • Feel more in control of your birth experience
  • Strengthen your bond with your birth partner
  • Connect with other local families
  • Backed by evidence-based information taught by certified educators

2026 Birthing Class Options:

Jan. 10, March 7, May 9, July 18, Sept. 19 or Nov. 14

Location: Meeker Memorial Hospital Conference Center

Tele-NICU

Through a partnership with CentraCare’s NICU team, we share the goal of keeping mothers and babies together and close to home after delivery. Sometimes infants are born with medical issues that require highly specialized care. Should this happen, MMHC now has the ability to connect with CentraCare’s NICU team to receive expert guidance to the local care team using virtual technology.

Breastfeeding Clinic

Meeker Memorial’s Lactation Consultants are available to help you with breastfeeding concerns prenatally, during your hospital stay, and after you go home with your baby. If you have questions or concerns or you are experiencing any difficulty with breastfeeding, help is available in the Breastfeeding Clinic at Meeker Memorial.

Lactation Consultant Services are also open to patients who are delivered at a hospital other than Meeker Memorial.  Simply have your doctor fax a “referral to lactation” to  (320) 693-4559.

Outpatient Breastfeeding Clinic is located on the 3rd Floor at Meeker Memorial Hospital. The Lactation Consultants can dispense a breast pump for home use available through your insurance or for purchase.

To schedule an outpatient appointment, ask your postpartum nurse to help schedule an appointment or call: (320) 373-3028.

Breastfeeding Clinic Team

  • Heather Ziehl, RN, IBCLC*
  • Makayla Sullivan, BSN, IBCLC*

*International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Our lactation consultants can help with the following:

  • Prenatal breastfeeding consult
  • Flat or inverted nipples
  • Nipple or breast pain
  • Latch on difficulties
  • Plugged milk ducts or mastitis
  • Milk supply (too much or too little)
  • Breastfeeding a pre-term baby
  • Breastfeeding a special needs baby
  • Baby not gaining weight well
  • Baby has sucking problems
  • Difficulty with breastfeeding
  • Supplementing
  • Breastfeeding multiples
  • Returning to work or school
  • Pumping or storing breast milk
  • Testing pump function
  • Crying or colicky baby
  • Nursing an adopted baby
  • Relactation

Common Maternity Questions

As you’re choosing your place of care for you and your baby, you may have some questions.  Here are some common questions we are frequently asked. 

If you have other questions, please contact the hospital and we will gladly answer any other questions you may have.

Q: Do you offer classes for new parents on birth, breastfeeding, infant care or other parenting topics?

A: Yes, we offer an in-person birthing classes and lactation programs.

Q: Will I have to share a room with another patient?

A: No, all birthing suites at Meeker Memorial are private suites.

Q: Who will deliver my baby?

A: At Meeker Memorial, 90% of the time your baby is delivered by your own doctor. This is very different than larger hospitals who source delivery through a Laborist.

Lactation Support

Meeker Memorial’s Lactation Consultants are available to help you with breastfeeding concerns prenatally, during your hospital stay, and after you go home with your baby. If you have questions or concerns or you are experiencing any difficulty with breastfeeding, help is available in the Breastfeeding Clinic at Meeker Memorial.