Good news for Lakeville and Farmington women: Our midwives are in your neighborhood.

The certified nurse midwives of Northfield Hospital + Clinics see patients for pre-natal care at NH+C’s Lakeville Clinic and Farmington Clinic, and deliver babies at the Birth Center at Northfield Hospital, a 20-minute drive from Lakeville and Farmington.

Pregnant people can get prenatal care close to home, and deliver with a certified nurse midwife at NH+C's Birth Center.

Frankie Stocker helps colleagues help patients with fetal loss.

Frankie is an OB nurse in the Birth Center. Seeing loss there (and in her own family) spurred Frankie to create education for NH+C nurses and staff to help families when they experience the loss of a baby.

NH+C honors select employees each year as part of our Do The Next Right Thing initiative that empowers every individual on staff to help provide the best experience possible for patients, guests, and each other. We're proud to honor Frankie for her commitment to families experiencing loss.

Our Birth Center welcomed 542 babies in 2022. Here were the most popular names.

Girl Names

• Charlotte: 5
• Amelia/Amilia: 4
• Olivia: 4
• Aspen/Aspyn: 3
• Josephine: 3
• Lydia: 3
• Quinn/Qwynn: 3
• Scarlette: 3
• Violet: 3

Boy Names

It’s a boy! Zeke Elliot Chalmers is our New Year’s baby – born on January 1 at 7:37 p.m.

Congratulations to parents Amber Riley and Zach Chalmers (and big brother Axel), who live in Owatonna.

Amber and Zach calculated Zeke’s due date as December 31. “Then at our first pre-natal appointment, we were told January 15,” Zach says. “We kept joking about it,” Amber laughs. “He’s the one who knew when to come.”

Axel, who’s almost 3, is excited to be a big brother: “He says he’s going to help change diapers and feed him,” Amber says.

Is there a new baby in your family? Congratulations! And take extra care: The current outbreak of RSV in the community puts babies at risk of serious illness.

The pediatricians of NH+C give this advice on protecting your newborn from RSV and other contagious illnesses this winter, especially over the holiday season.

NOVEMBER 22, 2022 – RSV is hitting our communities hard right now. RSV is a virus that infects the lungs. Kids under 2 are most at risk of serious illness.

NH+C pediatrician Ben Flannery, MD explains:

“RSV infects the microscopic airways of the lungs. It’s especially hard on small lungs: Babies and kids under 2 are at risk of severe inflammation of the lungs, so it’s hard to breathe. They can’t cough the mucus out of their lungs, which can lead to pneumonia.

Dr. Ngoc (pronounced “knock”) Vu believes in meeting patients wherever they are at in their lives.

“Women often take care of others and neglect their own health,” Dr. Vu says. “I want women to know they have power, and they are valued, so that they care for their health.” Dr. Vu delivers babies in the Birth Center, and cares for women of all ages in the Women's Health Center. 

Dr. Vu answers six questions:

First job? Landscaping. I learned to have a great work ethic and lasting appreciation for the outdoors.

OCTOBER 18, 2022 -- Dr. Ngoc (pronounced “knock”) Vu believes in meeting patients wherever they are at in their lives.

Dr. Vu has joined the Women’s Health Center at Northfield Hospital + Clinics, caring for women of all ages. From delivering babies to menopause, Dr. Vu offers expert care focused on the whole person.

Midwifery has expanded at the Birth Center and Women’s Health Center – offering more options for more women to have a certified nurse midwife deliver your baby.

With four certified nurse midwives on staff, the Birth Center now has midwives on call around the clock – so whenever your labor begins, a midwife is available. (That’s pretty special for a hospital birth center.)

This gives you the option for birth with minimal intervention – with the resources of a hospital and OB/GYN doctors ready if you need them.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 – The Minnesota Nurses Association is planning to go on strike Sept. 12-14 in hospitals in the metro and Duluth. NH+C has plans in place to provide safe care throughout this time.

The strike does not include nurses at NH+C.

The strike does impact NH+C’s ability to transfer patients. 

Some surgeries may have to be postponed or rescheduled. Elective surgery patients who are affected will be contacted directly by NH+C one day in advance of their scheduled surgery if it needs to be rescheduled.