Brooklyn Birthing Center

First I am writing this from the perspective of a grandmother ( my daughter had her second baby here). She loved the midwives and appreciated their expertise during her pregnancy. Too many ob/gyn services are closing down in the city and she was happy to have any knowledgable help for this baby. My problem with them is when my grandson was actually born. He was due in January and the birthing center gave her very short notice during one snow emergency that they would be closed. She was due and had to scramble for another hospital and midwife. Then when she went into intense labor a week later my husband, her husband drove her to the birthing center at 1 in the morning. It took a long time for anyone to answer the bell on a totally freezing night . The midwife then decided that she wasn't really in labor, so my husband had to go back in the middle of the night and pick her up ( she was in raging labor, so he was really rattled) Then a few hours later her doula decided that she really did have to go back ( we don't live close by the way) and again no one answered the door and she almost had my grandson on the sidewalk outside the door. He was born 5 minutes after she arrived. Thank goodness he's fine and my daughter is fine. I can't say the same for my husband when the subject is brought up.

Our second child was born in BBC, and we had a great experience.

First, the pregnancy care - I really liked all of the midwives and staff, had some great talks with Joanna. I never once felt rushed. Despite of what some older reviews are saying, I almost never had to wait, or at least the wait was significantly shorter than at my obgyn. This is probably because they are only accepting a limited number of women expecting to given birth around the same time. A minor glitch - you can't schedule an appointment for the next month sooner than a week or so before the current month ends. It is also somewhat inconveniently located if you don't live next to the Q line.

The labor care - I arrived to the birthing center a little over 30 minutes before my daughter was born. Literally everyone paid their full attention to me (unlike in the hospital with my first, but admittedly, I spent 3 hours there before he was born, not 30 minutes). Even though arriving so late, I still made it to the bathtub, and giving birth in there was probably as good as giving birth can be, especially thanks to the freedom and ease to find the most comfortable position (wouldn't happen in a hospital). Afterwards again, the atmosphere was very joyful and peaceful, everyone stayed with me (midwife, her assistant, child, the nurse who has come to check the baby, my doula, my husband, who later even brought my older one). I felt the connection on the personal level, closer to being surrounded by friends than by hospital staff.

I mostly cherished that a) I wasn't handled like a sick person b) had my freedom and the bathtub c) was approached very personally.

Amazing staff, clean and cozy location. We had our third child here, but it was our first natural birth. We definitely recommend this place.

It was amazing. My first child was delivered by a midwife in a hospital. My second child was delivered here, and the comparison is night and day. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, and while the midwife at the hospital was great, at the birthing center, there is no incubator room. My second child was placed directly on my wife's chest after birth and that is where he stayed for the entire night as we slept together peacefully until the next morning when it was time to go home. Other than the cab ride back home, my child never left my wife's arms. This is in stark contrast to the hospital, where newborns are by default, separated from mom. I wish we had known about Brooklyn Birthing Center earlier.

This is an amazing resource. In a city where the opportunities to give birth without hospital intervention are rare the very fact that a place like this exists is of vital importance. even though our own baby was born by C-section (she was discovered breech at a stage too late to turn), Linda and the rest of the staff were brilliant at ensuring the hospital experience came as close to meeting our needs as possible. As a result of their awesome help (Linda came with us for the C-section and was a rock of support) our little one was on the breast within an hour of birth and is now healthy and well and feeding like a trooper. The midwives are readily available to answer all your questions, are friendly, understanding and professional. We are indebted to them for all their wonderful help.