INSURANCE

Midwives offer prenatal, delivery and postpartum care, as well as well-women gynecological care. NYS Insurance Law requires insurance companies to reimburse for maternity care by a licensed midwife, which includes birth at home, birth centers or hospitals. Any insurance company registered to provide obstetrical insurance coverage in the State of New York must, by law, provide coverage for midwifery services. Clients who are members of HMO’s and PPO’s which provide out of plan services have the option of using a midwife.

HOSPITAL BASED MIDWIVES

Katherine Abelson, CNM
http://brooklynbirthingcenter.com/about-us-our-staff.php#katherinea
Katherine graduated the midwifery program at State University of New York in 1994, receiving her certification from the American College of Nurse Midwives and being licensed by the state of New York. “Prior to becoming a midwife, I had been employed as a nurse in Labor and Delivery at a major New York hospital. After graduating as a midwife, I had the privilege of serving a fellowship at the Holy Family Birth Center in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Here, desperately poor, primarily Mexican women had kinder, gentler, less traumatic births than some of the wealthiest, often anesthetized (and anesthesia does have its place), high-powered women I had assisted in New York. The focus was on the laboring woman and not on bleeping machines. Now such a place exists in Brooklyn, a place where women (and whomever else they want with them) can labor and deliver in whatever manner they find comfortable and remain with their babies throughout. The Brooklyn Birthing Center is as much a haven of normalcy for me as it can be for the majority of women in New York. I?m delighted this option exists.”

Bluebird Midwifery
Catherine Clark
135 Union Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-855-8885
cat@bluebirdmidwifery.com
Bluebird Midwifery is located on Brooklyn’s Columbia Street waterfront, Bluebird Midwifery provides individualized, holistic, compassionate and respectful care to women of all ages. Gyn, prenatal and postpartum care is provided in a comfortable and supportive atmosphere either in your home or in the Union Street office. Births take place at Long Island College Hospital. Bluebird Midwifery strives to nurture healthy transitions into parenthood. To this end, natural birth is encouraged, though not required. In addition, Catherine provides extensive postpartum care in your home hoping to avert any breastfeeding issues and to guide you through the initial and sometimes challenging entry into parenthood. At this time, Bluebird is accepting insurance as payment for clinical care from GHI PPO, Cigna, HIP, and BCBS PPO & EPO. Please call your insurance company to clarify benefits. There may be other fees involved for non-clinical care by the midwife.  Births at Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (no birth center currently, but 2 rooms with a jacuzzi)

CBS Midwifery

http://www.nycmidwives.com/

103 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Fl. (at 18th Street)
New York, NY 10003
Ph: 212-366-4699
nyccnms@.att.net
They deliver at St. Lukes.
Practice Orientation is held every other Wednesday evening and is free to anyone interested in learning more about CBS Midwifery. All we ask is that you call the office and register in advance. C.B.S. Midwifery was established in 1982, and by 2007 had helped birth over 2,800 babies. Obstetrical and well-woman gynecology care is provided by Barbara Sellars, CNM and Elizabeth Boyce, CNM, who are certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Barbara, herself, has helped birth over 1600 babies. Elizabeth Boyce, CNM joined the practice in January 2001. Barbara Sellars, CNM attended Vassar College, gave birth to her daughters Amy and Jennifer, and then became a certified childbirth educator. She received a B.S.N. from the University of Texas at Austin, and graduated from Yale University’s Midwifery Program. She is privileged to have delivered all three of her grandchildren, Kendall (9/15/96), Kieran (10/6/99) and Clementine Rose (5/7/03). Elizabeth A. Boyce, CNM. Elizabeth first learned about midwifery at the birth of her goddaughter Beatrice, in 1986. This inspired her to go back to school – first for nursing and subsequently midwifery. She received her MSN from Yale University in 1994. After graduation, she worked as a midwife on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Elizabeth returned to New York in 1996 and joined CBS Midwifery in 2000.

My midwives at CBS were great
-Suzanne

Clementine Midwifery
Stacey Rees & Abby Howe-Heyman
info@clementinemidwifery.com
www.clementinemidwifery.com
514 9th Street (at 8th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11215 (Park Slope)
646.519.7209
Deliver at LICH
We believe birth is normal, joyful, and powerful, unhurried prenatal visits at home or our Brooklyn Heights
office, births at lich Birth Center. Cigna, Empire bc /bs (ppo), ghi (ppo/cbp). Other insurances accepted with out-of-network benefits.

Julie Gold
718.926.5522
Births at Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (no birth center currently, but 2 rooms with a jacuzzi)

Joanne Middleton, CNM
718-375-9268
Births at Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (no birth center currently, but 2 rooms with a jacuzzi)

Midwifery of Manhattan
http://midwiferyofmanhattan.com
330 West 58th St
Suite 505
NY, NY 10019
212-957-3006
We are delighted to attend births at Roosevelt Hospital’s Birth Center as well as it’s newly renovated Labor and Delivery unit. While providing true midwifery care in a home-like environment, with all medical back-up and technology in close proximity. Well-woman gynecological care • Pap smears •Family planning • Pregnancy confirmation • Prenatal care • Labor and delivery • Lab tests on site • Referral to specialty services

Nurse-Midwifery Associates of Brooklyn- Joanne Middleton, CNM, PhD Janette O’Sullivan, CNM, MS
http://www.midwivesofbrooklyn.com/

Midwives @ Remedy 79 Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11201 (Cobble Hill)
(at Hicks Street, one block from LICH)
(718) 486-7374
AND
238 Williamsburg Street East (formerly Rodney)
Brooklyn, NY 11211 (Williamsburg)
(Between Marcy and Lee Avenues)
(718) 486-7374
We are affiliated with the Long Island College Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center. Ask us about the Long Island College Hospital’s private birthing rooms and Jacuzzi® tubs forcomfort and relaxation during labor. Most insurance accepted. For further information or to schedule an appointment or orientation visit, please call our office manager Sylvia Hamai or Rebekah Azzarelli at (718) 486-7374.

I have attended a number of births with them now and really like working with them. They are LICH based with an office in Williamsburg and another in Cobble Hill. They are real old school midwives with a real commitment to helping women have the births that they want. They are patient and trusting, skillful, and they both have big personalities that make them fun to work with (and very in charge at the hospital). Added bonus is that they have office help from a terrific local homeopath, Rebekah.
-Megan

I HIGHLY recommend Joanne Middleton and Jannette O’Sullivan. I started out with Dr. John Brennan who is a very capable and kind OB/GYN on Clinton St. I do recommend him but at 29 weeks I switched to the midwives and could not have been happier. Dr. Brennan is after all an OB and though his c-section rate is “only” 15% (as opposed to 30% like some docs) that was just too high for me. Also his wife, Jayce is present in a very tiny exam room at every exam. She is extremely intelligent and knowledegable and I think that as a male doctor he may have rules that require a woman in the room which I understood but still was not comfortable with. And I kept trying to get him to birth like a midwife until he finally, FINALLY (at 29 weeks!) said to me “Cara, I’m not a midwife! You need a midwife!” I credit him tremendously with saying that. My husband loved him and was very nervous about switching to midwives and that’s why it took me so long to do it. If my Doctor hadn’t listen to me so well that he basically pushed me to go to them I may not have done and I dont think I would have been as happy. My labor was 65 hours long. It started at Midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday with contractions 7 mins apart and my son was born at 3:45 on Friday afternoon! There were some scary moments in there where his heart rate spiked. I honestly believe I would have had a c-section if I had stayed with my OB/GYN. But these midwives who have more experience than I am old, were AMAZING. First, one of the two of them were present from the instant we arrived at the hospital (at 2am on Friday). Second, they encouraged my to stay home as long as I could (50 hours). 3rd they were completely confident in their ability to deliver him vaginally despite everything (her c-section rate is 5%). However, I knew we were in a hospital so if the worst happened, ok, I was ready for it. They are no-nonsense women. They are funny and smart and compassionate but they have a way of being that for me was infused with both incredible confidence/experience and also tremendous patience. I totally trusted them with my life and the life of my baby and so did my husband once he met them. And although Dr. Brennan is very, very good i just didn’t feel confident that his TRAINING would permit him to be as patient if I had a very very long labor – as I did.
-Sara

Yael Silverberg
425 W. 59th Street #4B
NY, NY
212-581-8675
Delivers at St. Lukes and in practice with Dr. Paka.

Sandy Woods
http://www.nywomenshealth.com/midwives-sandy-woods-st-lukes-roosevelt-hospital-new-york.htm
Births at St Lukes Roosevelt.
315 West 57th Street, Suite 203
New York, NY, 10019; (212) 603-4160
Provides continuous care throughout pregnancy, during the birth process, and in the postpartum period, Offers choice and flexibility to couples and families, attending births in the Roosevelt Hospital Birthing Center or in the Labor and Delivery Suite, Practices in partnership with Jacques Moritz, MD, who will co-manage any complications

She was a joy to work with. She is open to anything and followed my birthplan to a tee. She was completely confident and incredibly grounded. She has been delivering babies in NYC for 30 years.
-Kisha

I was so lucky to have Sandy Woods as my midwife and had an amazing birthing experience. I don’t know if I could have ever done it-none medicated birth- without Sandy. Her many years of experience were comforting. I knew I was in good hands even though I didn’t know what to expect as a first time Mom-to-be. I loved how laid back, yet incredibly through she was. Sandy is like the wise Grandmother you can always count on. I love her!
-Ariel

HOME BASED MIDWIVES

Most homebirth midwives have experience with water birth. They have access to physicians for consultation and referral and hospitals to transfer if necessary. NYS Insurance Law requires insurance companies to reimburse for maternity care by a licensed midwife, which includes birth at home, birth centers or hospitals. There is no facility fee for homebirth- just the midwife’s fee for service.

Tioma Allison
(917-497-3529)

She is a Brooklyn based homebirth midwife who is wonderful to work with. She is very trusting of birth and women’s bodies, she works from her heart, and she brings an amazingly calm presence to a birth. She takes late transfers, most insurance, and she is often open to client’s requests that are more unusual. I highly recommend her.
-Megan

Jeanette Breen
516-223-1251
(Mostly Long Island)

Joan Bryson, CNM
www.communitymidwifery.com
joaniesb@aol.com
1622 8th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-788-0595

Joan Bryson helped me and my husband deliver two boys (18 months apart!) at home. She has had her own practice for a long time, so she has taken care of every kind of different situation. I trusted her to bring my boys into this world in the gentlest of ways. I felt overwhelmed being pregnant and facing labor. Joan put me at ease and held my hand every step of the way.
-Alexandra

JJB Midwifery
http://birthpartners.com/ls-1-34-1-189-JJB_Midwifery_Midwives_in_New_Jersey_United_States.aspx
688 President Street
Brooklyn NY 11215
718-230-4789
212-769-4578
Karen Jefferson decided to become a midwife a few minutes after she and her husband delivered their second child in the bathtub of their Brooklyn apartment. “Women CAN do this! Maybe I can reach a few if I become a midwife.” She graduated from State University of New York in 2000 with a Masters of Science in Midwifery, and spent two years in a busy inner-city birth center/hospital practice before teaming up with her partner Martine Jean-Baptiste to start JJB Midwifery. Her own three home births and the many wonderful women whose births she attended at Bellevue Birth Center and Hospital gave her confidence in women’s strength and ability to give birth. Karen has received training in lactation support as well.
Martine Jean-Baptiste has been involved in women’s health since 1986 after graduating with her BSN. She has worked with women and their families throughout the lifecycle in a variety of settings. Professional roles include Registered Nurse (maternal/child health in large inner city hospital, home care, freestanding birth center, alternative to incarceration program for women), professional labor support and childbirth educator. She has served on the board of the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York (CEA/MNY) since 1993. Martine graduated from SUNY Health Science Center @ Bklyn with an MS in Midwifery. As a midwife, she worked in a large inner city hospital as well as a freestanding birth center practicing full scope midwifery. In June 2002, Martine and her business partner, Karen Jefferson, started their homebirth practice, JJB Midwifery. They provide preconceptual conseling, well woman gynecology, contraception and homebirth. All care is individualized and provided in the privacy/intimacy and comfort of their client’s home. They have hospital privileges.

I can’t say enough good things about JJB. They both attend the births, but only Martine was at mine as Karen was on vacation in August. If one of them is on vacation they have a birth assistant, so there is always 2 there for the birth. I went to their annual breakfast and met many mothers who had nothing but great things to say about their home births with both of them. I ended up having to go to St. Vincent’s due to complications, and Martine was with me for almost the entire time – she slept 2 nights in the hospital. She was amazing and made me feel safe and comfortable with every step we took.
-JJ

Kristen Leonard
646-290-8020
kmleonard@mac.com
294 Sixth Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Delivers at home. She believes that childbirth is a natural process and that giving a woman full voice and full choice is important- and that this can be effectively done in the home where a woman is comfortable.

Valeriana Pasqua-Masback
www.homebirthmidwifery.com
845-826-8646
(usually only upper manhattan, occasionally brooklyn),

Cara Muhlhahn
http://www.nyhomebirth.com/newyork.html
cmuhl2@aol.com
646 E. 11th Street
New York, NY 10009
212-388-1837
Midwife that is an experienced licensed homebirth midwife. If you are pregnant, we offer prenatal care and standard testing, herbal, homeopathic and holistic health care. During your homebirth we take the measures to make sure that you and your baby are safe. We also visit postpartum. You don’t have to be pregnant to take advantage of the gentle care of a midwife. Many of us also provide a full scope of well woman gyn care including annual exams, contraceptives, pap smears and menopause health.

She was amazing and very sensitive. She came to my apartment to do all the prenatal visits. She is informative, warm and knowledgeable. I can’t say enough good things about her. She was featured in Ricki Lake’s Documentary “The Business of Being Born”.
-Elizabeth

Cara is simply the best. I had both of my babies with her. She is very competent, very compassionate, very funny. A no-nonsense New York midwife. She is very experienced in childbirth but is also very well informed about tons of other things: pediatricians, primary doctors, different cultures, life in general. She always returned my phone calls immediately. Both times, I had amazing, and truly personal experiences with her. She became a real friend and I am so happy that she helped bring my boys into this world and was among the very few people they got to see first.
-Betty

Miriam Schwarzschild
718-369-0769
mirwife@gmail.com
308 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Miriam is a fantastic midwife. I have attended several births with her and feel really confident in her abilities. She is quiet and calm, respectful and held back when need be but she is also a very skilled clinician and can switch modes if a birth requires her to. She has caught more than 1300 babies! She is smart, honest, warm, and hands-on when need be.
-Megan

Marcy Perlman Tardio, CNM
718-788-9131
marcenu@verizon.net

Marcy caught my son in May 2007 and I cannot say enough good things about her! She comes to your home for every appointment – even for blood draws, exams, cultures, etc. She is so warm and gentle and I found her to be a joy to be around all through my pregnancy. I completely trust her judgment and she really trusts birth and women’s abilities. I highly recommend calling Marcy if you are even considering a homebirth!
-Megan