The Birth Center at HaysMed is a comfortable, family-friendly, state-of-the-art facility for labor and delivery, lactation services, postpartum and surgical care for women, and neonatal intensive care for babies.
You Belong in Our Warm and Welcoming Birth Center
At HaysMed, we’re proud to say we deliver more babies than any hospital in our region. Moms and dads trust us to deliver their babies because here, healthy families mean everything to us. When it comes to women’s health and OB/GYN care, our mission wouldn’t be complete without our state-of-the-art HaysMed Birth Center.
Our Birth Center includes all the services, technologies and amenities needed for everyone’s comfort, health and well-being, from mom and baby to all family and visitors. In addition to our advanced monitoring and surgical technology, highlights from our Birth Center include:
- Six spacious, private labor and delivery rooms
- Two operating suites for cesarean sections (C-sections) and a comfortable recovery room
- Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) so baby and mom/family are always close and connected
- 12 private, postpartum patient rooms with individual bathrooms and showers
- Personalized lactation support from highly trained experts
- Comfortable cots available for your adult support person to stay with you
- Secure, always-locked unit for the safety of all moms, babies and families in our care
- Virtual baby book profiles
The Birth Center is located on the first floor of the North Tower at HaysMed. Because the unit is locked for added security, all patients and visitors will need to use the black phone near the door to request entry. Please note our Visiting Hours below, which include daily “quiet time” closures for our new moms, babies and families to get some much-needed rest.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care
HaysMed is proud to be recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) for meeting the rigorous Blue Distinction Centers+ quality selection criteria for maternity care set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers+ are healthcare facilities and providers recognized for their expertise and efficiency in delivery specialty care.
Visiting Hours
Visiting hours at HaysMed are 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., but for postpartum patients needing rest, we do close visitation in the Birth Center from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. For our new mothers, we also encourage taking advantage of the “golden hour” (quiet time) by restricting visitation until after the first hour of the baby’s life.
Our entire staff at the HaysMed Birth Center looks forward to caring for you and your newborn. We are eager to provide support and guidance throughout your experience here. For tours or more information, please call us at 785-623-5000.
Prenatal Classes and Education
We offer a variety of educational classes to help ensure healthy moms and babies throughout your pregnancy, delivery and beyond. Classes range from $20-$50 and include a teaching booklet and access to a dedicated mobile app.
In-person classes include Childbirth Talk and Tour, Understanding Breastfeeding and Understanding Newborn Care. To register for in-person classes please visit haysmed.com/eeds/ or call the HaysMed Education Department at 785-623-5500. Online classes include Understanding Breastfeeding, Understanding Newborn Care, Understanding Birth, and Understanding Sibling Preparation. For more information or to register for classes, please visit haysmed.com/eeds/ or call the HaysMed Education Department at 785-623-5500.
Prenatal Education: Women will receive https://www.readysetbabyonline.com/ education at their prenatal appointments at The Center for Women’s Health throughout their pregnancy. Women interested in applying for WIC during their pregnancy are encouraged to contact their local Health Department. To contact our local Ellis County Health Department visit https://www.ellisco.net/176/WIC-Program and Kansas WIC at http://www.kansaswic.org/.
For more information, visit our Health Library.
Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
For newborns who need a higher level of care after they’re born, our Birth Center includes a six-bed, Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Having a specialized NICU inside our Birth Center ensures closeness for moms and babies, complete with the expert, highly attentive care provided by our neonatal intensive care team.
Our status as Level II NICU means we can do everything the more commonplace Level I NICU can do, but we are also equipped to provide care for babies who are:
- Delivered as early as 34 weeks or older
- Moderately ill with problems expected to resolve quickly
- Not anticipated to need subspecialty services on an urgent basis
- Feeding and growing stronger after being in a higher level of intensive care
- Requiring mechanical ventilation for a brief duration
For babies who need it, our Level II NICU has pediatricians and trained NICU nurses on staff.
Our Level II NICU is also equipped to stabilize and transfer babies that may need to be moved to a Level III NICU.
For more information or assistance, call 785-623-5000.
Breastfeeding Education, Services and Support
HaysMed’s Lactation Services Team is made up of international board-certified Lactation Consultants/Registered Nurses (IBCLC/RN). Our team is available to assist with inpatient and outpatient breastfeeding support or concerns from Monday through Friday each week.
Additionally, our Birth Center nurses have each completed a minimum of 20 hours of breastfeeding education. They work closely with mothers, newborns and our Lactation Services Team to support each mom-and-baby’s feeding plan.
Outpatient Lactation Support
After mom and baby leave for home, our outpatient lactation guidance is available for further breastfeeding assistance with phone support and/or in-person feeding consultations, from Monday through Friday each week. Our outpatient consults are by appointment at this time.
For questions or challenges regarding breastfeeding contact Lactation Services at 785-650-2767.
High 5 For Mom and Baby Hospital
HaysMed has been designated a High 5 for Mom and Baby Hospital. The High 5 program is based on five key hospital practices crucial for a successful breastfeeding experience:
- Assuring immediate, sustained skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby after birth
- Giving newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated
- Allowing “rooming in” so mothers and infants can remain together 24 hours a day
- Not giving pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants
- Providing mothers options for breastfeeding support in the community
The High 5 program supports HaysMed through technical assistance and learning opportunities to ensure our staff skills continue to improve, while safeguarding the best outcomes for the moms and babies. Visit the High 5 website to learn more.
Mothers’ Milk Donation and Outreach Center
HaysMed is a Mothers’ Milk Donation and Outreach Center, working in conjunction with Ellis County Breastfeeding Coalition and Mothers’ Milk Bank.
A nonprofit program of Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, Mothers’ Milk Bank (MMB) collects, processes and provides donor human milk to infants across the country. Infants who receive the milk may be premature or have severe illnesses and need human milk to thrive. Human milk is the key to a healthy future, providing newborns and babies with essential immune properties, growth factors, hormones and enzymes that they cannot get from formula. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants should be fed human milk exclusively for the first six months of life. If mother’s own milk is unavailable, donated milk from a human milk bank approved by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, of which MMB is a member, is the next best choice.
MMB consistently provides more milk to NICUs than any other nonprofit milk bank in North America and adheres to the strict guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). For more information, visit www.milkbankcolorado.org
Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
HaysMed is designated as a Baby Friendly Hospital. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program to encourage the broad-scale implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. BFHI assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence, and skills necessary to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so. In cases where patients have a medical indication or have made an informed decision to use formula, the safe preparation and feeding of formula is provided to mothers. Visit Baby Friendly USA’s website to learn more.
For more information, call 785-623-5000.
Safe Haven
HaysMed is a Safe Haven facility. Safe Haven is a specific location where a mother (or father) can hand over their unharmed infant, who is less than 45 days old, into safe care. This can be done without fear of prosecution.
In Kansas, all hospitals, 24-hour fire stations, police stations, city and county health departments are specific Safe Havens for newborns. The infant may be handed to any employee who is on duty at these facilities. Learn more about Kansas Safe Haven Law.
You can also learn more in this brochure, which includes a form to provide important health and medical information about the child, so our providers can ensure the best care. No information about the parents is requested or required.
For more information, call us at 785-623-5000.
Our Location
The HaysMed Birth Center is located on the first floor of the North Tower at:
2220 Canterbury Drive
Hays, KS 67601
Because the unit is locked for added security, all patients and visitors will need to use the black phone near the door to request entry.
For more information and assistance, call 785-623-5000.
Baby, Mother and Family Focused
The Birth Center at HaysMed is committed to providing safe, high-quality care. From the patient experience we deliver to the expertise of our entire team, we’ve always specialized in you.