Services

Homebirth

Our practice offers comprehensive prenatal care, including all visits and laboratory tests, routine screening and counseling. We provide continuous care during labor and birth and have a relationship with family and obstetrical physicians should the need for medical consultation, collaboration or care arise. After birth, we continue to provide care, with a minimum of three visits in your home. We strive to ensure insurance reimbursement.

Advantages for the Mother

When you have your baby at home, you are not subjected to routine procedures but seen as an individual. Your needs and desires are not sacrificed to protocols or statistical averages. You may eat and drink and walk freely to facilitate the natural process. You are much less likely to desire pain medication when you feel safe in your own surroundings, able to labor and give birth in any location and position you choose. Women giving birth at home will have continuity of care with the same attendants. This reduces the risk of postpartum depression because there is no separation from the baby and the midwife's support continues after the birth.

Advantages for the Baby

The baby’s experience of birth and transition is acknowledged and made as gentle as possible. Cesarean rates range from 4-10% in most homebirth practices. With vaginal birth, babies experience fewer breathing difficulties. The stress of separation from his/her mother makes a newborn more susceptible to respiratory, digestive and breastfeeding complications. Infection rates are reduced when a baby is at home with his/her mother. Routine hospital procedures such as suctioning, washing the baby and separation from parents are avoided. Breastfeeding is easier to establish when the baby can nurse on demand when ready.

Advantages for the Family

Birth is an integral part of family life. Partners, friends, siblings and family members are welcome, not “allowed” to be present. This eases postpartum transition.

Disadvantages

Having a homebirth requires a higher level of effort and responsibility. While midwives bring standard emergency equipment with them to every birth, some complications may require transport to a hospital. Your midwives stay with you if you transport and resume care postpartum.

Sometimes, your decision to have a homebirth may not be supported by friends, family, coworkers and the medical community. Many people are unaware of the track record of safety inherent in the midwifery model of care.

Homebirth is covered by most insurance plans.

Call us for a consultation to see if homebirth is right for you.

Primary Women's Healthcare

Find privacy and respect for your annual physical examination. You won't have to wait when you come for your appointment. At each visit expect a comprehensive review of your health and well-being. A complete exam is provided and all findings are discussed openly.

In addition to seeking care for annual visits, testing and treatment is provided for menstrual problems, vaginal infections, urinary tract problems, sinus problems and other common primary healthcare concerns.

Herbal and nutritional remedies may be recommended. Extensive laboratory testing can be ordered if needed. Prescriptions can be written for pharmaceuticals.

The midwives do not participate in any insurance plan. Fees for all visits include administrative costs and specimen transport. Laboratories bill insurance companies directly for their services. Reduced fees may be available for those who seek midwifery care and have no insurance or ability to pay the full rate; however payment is expected at the time of the visit. Insurance claims are submitted in a timely manner. Most major credit cards are accepted.

Pregnancy & Birth Counseling

Babies come into our lives and turn everything upside down in ways we never could have anticipated. Even under the best and happiest of circumstances, pregnancy is often stressful and demanding for women. Expectations abound at work, at home and among extended family members. Choosing a care provider and birth setting, coping with common discomforts, waiting for test results and adjusting to a shifting body image are only a few of the challenges many pregnant women face.

 As the time for labor and birth approaches, some women find they are anxious about labor and receiving the support they need. These concerns are common and healthy but may interfere with relationships, work, sleep, healthy eating and prenatal bonding.After birth, women undergo many physical and emotional changes due to the shifting from pregnancy to lactation hormones. Understanding these changes and having a solid support system can alleviate concerns about postpartum depression and give women confidence as they venture into motherhood.

Because the childbearing experience presents so many concerns, meeting with a birth counselor can soften the pointy edges. Women who have a history of domestic violence or sexual abuse, eating disorders or clinical depression may benefit most from a few sessions with a PBP counselor before and after giving birth. Art therapy, visualization, hypnotherapy and journaling may be part of the PBP counseling experience.

Childbirth & Breastfeeding Education

We offer private and small group classes under the auspices of the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York. The approach is eclectic in nature. The experience and needs of class participants direct the flow of the syllabus. Students planning to give birth at home, in birthing centers and in hospitals are welcome. Single parents are welcome and are encouraged to bring a friend or labor companion.

We explore the stages of labor in detail so participants can know what to expect both physiologically and emotionally.  Ways for birth attendants and partners to recognize and respond to the needs of the laboring woman throughout the experience are emphasized. Films are carefully selected to enhance learning.

Participants discover their own innate abilities to meet the intensity of labor. We cover non-pharmacological strategies such as breathing and vocalization, use of favorable labor positions, massage and acupressure, hydrotherapy and aromatherapy.

We consider labor complications and the appropriate medical interventions involved in their management. In addition, the uses, risks and potential benefits of pain medications for labor are explained in detail. Labor induction and cesarean section are covered in depth.

Participants will learn about physiological and emotional changes which can be expected after birth. Emphasis is placed on prevention of postpartum depression and the establishment of a sound support system.

Newborn Care

Newborn appearance, reflexes and behavior are discussed in depth. Customary assessment and medical procedures in various settings are explained. We explore bathing & massage, skin care & diapering, umbilical cord stump care, burping and soothing, taking a temperature, circumcision, baby safety, choosing a care provider for your baby, parenting according to your values, and family adjustment issues.

Breastfeeding Counseling

Breastfeeding is the healthiest way to nourish a baby. Breastfed infants are less likely to suffer later  from serious chronic illnesses such as diabetes and asthma, acute infections or obesity. Mothers often find that breastfeeding enables them to stop periodically through the day to rest, rejuvenate and bond with their babies. Breastfeeding can protect mothers from breast cancer and depression. Many of the common difficulties beginners may encounter with breastfeeding can be prevented or recognized early and addressed when there has been prenatal preparation. Partners are encouraged to attend this class. Our breastfeeding classes cover a complete overview of the benefits of breastfeeding, nutrition & self care, positioning & latching newborns at the breast, troubleshooting common challenges, information about milk expression & storage, breastfeeding and working, nursing multiples, and breastfeeding after cesarean surgery.

Massage & Bodywork

While many consider regular massage treatments a luxury or indulgence, more and more people are discovering that this ancient therapeutic modality is a major component of an overall stress reducing, health enhancing lifestyle. For individuals with specific health problems bodywork and massage have become an indispensable component of their complementary health care.

We offer advanced prenatal/postpartum, Swedish, myofascial, structural and visceral styles of bodywork. In office or home visits and gift certificates are available.  Massage therapy during and after pregnancy addresses the body's many adjustments to these physiologic and emotional transformations. Bodywork during and after pregnancy is relaxing and addresses common "trouble spots" to provide relief from persistent discomforts. Emphasis is on relieving swelling, restoring length to muscles which may be compensating for postural changes and promoting a sense of well-being. Visceral massage is a subtle and gentle modality which treats a variety of conditions. It is particularly helpful for gynecological complaints.  Clinical breast massage is also offered to treat a variety of breast discomforts. Many women experience breast tenderness and swelling related to their menstrual cycles, pregnancy, lactation or involution after menopause. Scar tissue formation after any type of breast surgery is another cause of breast discomfort. Breasts are often compressed by tight-fitting clothes which restrict circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid. This can result in pain and a dull aching deep in the breast tissue. Over time, poor circulation can cause breast scarring and disease.  Breast massage can alleviate many of these discomforts.

A skilled massage practitioner with a thorough understanding of breast physiology, health and disease can provide expert hands-on breast care, education and reassurance. Many women are surprised they feel so good following a massage treatment specifically for the breast tissue.  Breast massage can also be incorporated into a full body treatment. An independent breast massage should include drainage of the neck, arms and chest wall. Breasts have many meanings for us. Depending on our culture, family and local environment, they may symbolize femininity, sensuality, fertility or a source of self-consciousness or shame. Society and advertising reinforce ambiguous feelings about our breasts. Breast massage can be given through draping or directly on the skin, according to the comfort of the woman receiving it. These treatments can help women feel a positive connection with this vital, life-giving part of both body and spirit.