A medical professional cares for a patient in the labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum unit at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany in this undated photo. (Marcy Sanchez/U.S. Army)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is squeezing some expectant mothers in the Kaiserslautern Military Community and beyond out of the labor and delivery ward at the largest Defense Department hospital overseas.
Social media forums abounded Tuesday with requests for advice stemming from a screenshot of a memo saying that Landstuhl Regional Medical Center’s services for labor and delivery were suspended until further notice.
The closure is “due to the hospital’s primary objective,” according to the memo, which was signed by Lt. Col. Elizabeth Gelner, a doctor with the OB/GYN clinic at Landstuhl.
Although the primary objective is not specified, Landstuhl serves as a critical hub and evacuation point for U.S. service members wounded in training or combat operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It’s expected to continue that role during the current conflict with Iran, in which six U.S. service members have been killed and 10 wounded so far, according to military officials.
The hospital will continue to see patients for prenatal appointments until 36 weeks. At 36 weeks and later, pregnant women should ask for guidance on what to do next, the memo says.
Hospital officials did not immediately address questions about its authenticity Wednesday.
Landstuhl is part of a sprawling network of places in southwestern Germany that form the largest overseas American military community.
Air Force Capt. Kaitlyn Betts holds her newborn daughter, Raegan McKenna Betts, after giving birth at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany on July 20, 2022. Air Force Maj. Khimea Sayles, left, and Air Force Capt. Jenny Davis, clinical nurses at LRMC, stand next to her. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
“We are doing our utmost to assist you in transferring your labor care to the host nation,” the note said, adding that the timeline for reopening labor and delivery is not known.
Women who were left scrambling to adjust their birth plan at the last minute can request a doula through Tricare if they are anxious about what to expect, said Erica Curtis, an Air Force spouse at Spangdahlem.
A certified doula for 11 years, Curtis supports expectant women and their family members during pregnancy, labor and the early postpartum period when delivery takes place off base.
“I’m trying to take on as many as I can, especially with this situation,” she said.
Ideally, Curtis likes to work with three to five families per month. But because of the change at LRMC, she is waiting on an additional 13 referrals for women scheduled or expecting to give birth in the next 14 days in the Kaiserslautern and Spangdahlem areas, she said Wednesday.
Some women scheduled for a medical induction or caesarean section on Wednesday found out the day before that they had to make other arrangements, she said.
LRMC staff and Tricare are working hard to accommodate all these last minute changes for these families, Curtis said.
The process includes getting patients’ medical records transcribed from English and putting emergency referrals through to local German hospitals, she noted.
LRMC’s labor and delivery unit currently accommodates a mix of active-duty personnel and spouses of service members, Curtis said. It’s the only American referral center for high-risk obstetric patients eligible for care throughout Europe, Western Asia and Africa, according to the hospital’s website.
Labor and delivery services are currently not offered to DOD civilians and contractors, according to LRMC’s February 2026 report on specialty care availability.
Social media users spoke of the quality of care provided at labor and delivery departments off base. Some women even rated their experience as better than that of an American hospital.
“If you have a baby on the US side and then have one on the German side you will wonder why the US doesn’t do labor, delivery and after care the way Germany does,” Carmen Leah Kekoa wrote on one of the Kaiserslautern Military Community’s spouses pages. “This is one area that Germany absolutely got right. You and your baby will have the best care.”
