Category: Articles

Here at Brooklyn Birthing Center, we have been working with other advocates to improve legislation for freestanding birthing centers in New York state. For more information and action alerts, please see our most recent e-newsletter!

When we asked the experts- our fabulous mamas- to weigh in on why New York state needs more freestanding birthing centers, we received this AMAZING testimonial from a new mom. Thanks for sharing your story, Anne!

“To say that I am grateful for the birthing experience that I had at the Brooklyn Birthing Center does not adequately describe my feelings. When my husband and I found out we were expecting we immediately began searching for the kind of care provider and facility that would allow us to have the natural birth experience that we were looking for. We were not quite ready for a home birth but knew that we preferred to not be in a hospital setting. After some research, I was so excited to find the Brooklyn Birthing Center, and was, honestly, quite surprised that it was really the only option available. 

Thank you, BBC!” -Anne Klar

The following is an excerpt from our most recent e-newsletter. To sign up for monthly e-mail updates, click here.

Dear Friends of the Brooklyn Midwifery Group and Brooklyn Birthing Center,

It looks like all those April (and May) showers are paying off- spring is in full bloom! We just hope the sun decides to peek out during this holiday weekend. We are also hoping you will take a moment to spring into action (see what we did there?) for birthing centers in New York!

A new piece of legislation called the Midwifery Birth Center Bill is on the table. This bill endeavors to support midwife-led birthing centers, but does not address the many unique legal obstacles to opening freestanding birthing facilities in New York state. We need to let the decision-makers know that we need a more comprehensive bill if we want birthing centers to flourish in New York! Please sign this petition, and follow the New York State Alliance for Birth Centers on Facebook and Twitter for updates! 

In order to meet the growing demand for midwifery care, we have added three more midwives to our team! Please help us welcome Christiane McCloskey, CM, Katherine Roeltgen, CNM, and Denine Polen, CNM, FNP. These three fantastic midwives bring an incredible wealth of experience to our practice, and we are thrilled to have them on board. Check out our Staff page to learn more about our midwives and staff members!

For more information and updates, please check out our February e-newsletter. You can subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter here.

The following is an excerpt from our December newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here. To sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, click here.

2013 has been a pivotal year for Brooklyn Birthing Center! We dramatically expanded our birthing center and our staff, began offering on-site counseling and prenatal classes, joined the nationwide Strong Start Initiative, made strides toward becoming a designated Baby-Friendly Facility, and made headlines when we welcomed our 1,000th baby! We want to express our gratitude to all our clients- we achieved these milestones because of your support!

And now for some more exciting news: we will be hosting a monthly La Leche League meeting beginning in January! This is a great opportunity for new and expecting parents to socialize, support one another, and learn more about breastfeeding, postpartum health, and baby care.

The first La Leche Meeting at Brooklyn Birthing Center will be held on Monday, January 27th, from 7 PM – 8 PM. The meeting is free and open to women interested in breastfeeding, partners, and babies! LLL meetings at BBC will be facilitated by Jennifer Leopold, IBCLC, LMSW, and La Leche League Leader with La Leche League of Marine Park  / Madison.

Jennifer is also available for private consultations- click here for more information, and check out our calendar for future La Leche League meeting dates!  
 

Today a team of hard-working midwives delivered the 1,000^th baby born at Brooklyn Birthing Center, the only freestanding birthing center in the New York metro area. The 7-pound, 13.5-ounce baby girl, Lillian Bramblett, was born to proud parents Kaitlyn and TJ at 1:19 PM.

Located in the Midwood neighborhood, Brooklyn Birthing Center (BBC) is staffed by the Brooklyn Midwifery Group, a small team of experienced Certified Nurse-Midwives. The midwives have full privileges at Maimonides Medical Center and are able to attend deliveries in a hospital setting; however, most low-risk clients opt to deliver in the home-like birthing suites at Brooklyn Birthing Center. 

Baby Lillian was delivered by Aki Shishido, CNM, with the help of Andrea Diamond, CNM; Maggie Torrance, Birth Assistant and Clinical Manager; and Linda Gaglioti, also a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Brooklyn Birthing Center’s Director of Midwifery. Ms. Gaglioti said, “It was such an honor to take part in this important milestone. We look forward to serving many more women and families for years to come.”

According to Fran Schwartz, CEO, Brooklyn Birthing Center’s clientele has grown dramatically in recent years. “More and more families are researching their options and choosing natural deliveries at a birth center when the moms are healthy and low-risk,” she observed, “Our clients play an active role in their health care— they want to feel empowered by their birth experiences.”

For healthy, low-risk mothers, there are many advantages to delivering at BBC. Friends and family members are welcome in BBC’s roomy birthing suites. Expectant mothers are free to eat, drink, walk, and labor in a variety of positions— many choose to alleviate labor pains by soaking in BBC’s birthing pool. Clients receive highly individualized care, and newborns always remain with their mothers— preferably skin-to-skin on the mother’s chest, to facilitate breastfeeding and bonding.

In addition to caring for pregnant women and attending deliveries, the Brooklyn Midwifery Group offers well-woman visits and family planning. The group also partners with social workers, lactation consultants, and a home visit nurse in order to provide holistic prenatal and postpartum care.

Brooklyn Birthing Center is a participant in the Strong Start Initiative, a nation-wide program to prevent preterm births. BBC is also working toward becoming a Baby-Friendly Facility, a designation that ensures the highest standard of breastfeeding support. BBC hosts a variety of classes for expecting parents, and plans to begin hosting La Leche League meetings later this fall.  

The following is an excerpt of a beautiful testimonial written by a new mother who delivered at BBC in April. We are so proud of our newest Staff Midwife, Gail Raymon, for inspiring this lovely letter! This is exactly the kind of story that makes us all feel so fortunate to work at Brooklyn Birthing Center!

Just one week ago, I was in such excruciating pain during 17 hours of active labor that I thought I would never meet my daughter. I feared I would never see the face of the stirring, kicking presence inside of me. I was afraid the only noise I would ever hear her make was the sound of her racing heart on the Doppler: a stampede of horses reassuring me that she was okay. This uncertainty- this fear- would have enveloped me were it not for my wonderful midwife, Gail. She helped me chase away the dark thoughts and usher in hope and reassurance. When it seemed I had hit bottom and couldn’t continue, she held my hand, looked into my eyes and said with a gentle smile, ‘Today is your daughter’s birthday.’ 

The quiet strength that Gail carries with her is exactly what I needed to get my through the birth of my first child… During labor, Gail was stern with me when I needed firm directives and soothing and maternal when I needed to be reminded that everything would be okay. She instantly learned the names of my “birthing team” (my husband, mom and sister) and continued to check in with them to make sure they were taking care of themselves as well as letting them know the ways they could best assist me…