Brooklyn Birthing Center

Where to begin!!!
Last fall, my partner and I unexpectedly got pregnant. I had never considered what type of birth I would want, as I had not really considered myself «ready» for a baby. There are, naturally, many fears that arise. But, through a lot of research, I came to think that I would be more afraid of giving birth in a Brooklyn/​NYC hospital than I would be giving birth naturally. I attended an orientation at BBC and started receiving prenatal care there during my first trimester.
I would occasionally check the reviews here about the center and feel discouraged that some were so negative and that there aren’t that many, so as I continued to prepare for my birth and hope that I didn’t get risked out or transferred, I hoped that more happy mamas birthing at the center probably just forgot to give BBC a proper shoutout after their births.
Here I am with my lovely five day old son in my arms and I’m SO grateful for BBC and my birthing story there. My midwives were Takia and Carolyn, and they made me feel so supported as I primarily labored in the tub with my husband and doulas. When it was time to push, they took charge (I needed someone to at that point) and Takia guided me through the final phase of my birth with a quiet but strong presence. They continually made me feel that I was in charge and that I had options, which I think is vital to a woman in labor. The aftercare of me, my husband and baby were phenomenal. We were able to rest and bond with our baby in a calm, private atmosphere and felt confident with being sent home just five hours after the birth with the BBC team’s blessing.
Pregnancy and birth are a lot of work, and a natural birth requires a woman to prepare mentally, emotionally and physically. I am so grateful for the way BBC empowered me to take control of my pregnancy and birth choices. BBC is a beautiful part of the story of how my son was born, a story I will be sharing for the rest of my life.

Very mixed experience. Overall positive and would recommend; most of the midwives I saw were quite nice.
Pros:
— Clean, comfortable rooms
— Big tubs!
— My midwife for the actual birth, Laurie/​Lori was AMAZING. She is no longer working for the center, but her expertise in helping turn the baby and admitting me despite my labor not progressing after 16 hours was instrumental in me having the baby there instead of a hospital.
— Really awesome birth assistants. I can only remember the name of one of them — Tatiana, but she, along with the other ladies, were so nice and supportive and kept my spirit up throughout my long, LONG labor.
— Evidence-​based medicine; no woo or hippie-​dippie stuff here. I like that you are in safe, capable hands while being able to birth with drugs and minimal intervention, and the hospital is a brief ride away if necessary.
Cons:
— I actually did not have bad experiences talking to the office staff. They were friendly, nice, and remembered my name after a few appointments. I enjoyed chatting with the nurses and they were all great… but I have had lots of problems with mix-​up with paperwork, late communication etc. Very careless mistakes that get frustrating after a while.
— The first midwife I saw, Katie, was not sympathetic at all and did not believe me when I said I was in agonizing pain — my pre-​labor pains were just as painful as active labor and never changed in intensity throughout the 30+ hours I was in labor for. I later read that this was something that happened to some women. While I understand that the center is where you go to give birth, not sit around while in labor, it was discouraging that her attitude was so flippant. I went back three times and finally, at hour 18, the other midwife I saw and ultimately ended up delivering my baby, Laurie/​Lori, saw that I was only dilated about 4 cm but I was in tremendous pain and let me stay at the center to get into the tub and help me rest up. Her instincts was that if I could get some rest in, my body will relax a bit and help progress the labor. She was correct, and along with her helping turn the baby so she wasn’t pressing on my spine, I was able to birth naturally. I wonder if I would have ended up a hospital transfer if Katie had stuck around to be my midwife for the birth.

AVOID
COLD DARK AND GLOOMY
It is a shame that we live in NYC and this is the only option for a birthing center that isn’t connected or inside a hospital. First of all the place doesn’t look sanitary. There isn’t any type of hospitality feeling or warmth of welcome when you walk in. I did a walk-​thru with my 2^nd pregnancy and the communication was cold and bare. I suggested it to my friend who was also interested in a birthing center and she received the same terrible communication and was denied a visit from being over booked then told she was removed from the birthing center list without knowledge at 33 weeks (OVERBOOKED). Please someone open up a real birthing center this place is embarrassing to NYC and a dump! I’d rather have my baby on my mothers farm in VA!

I had Asya and Yuliya as my midwives the day of, and I had a horrific traumatic birth, that led to a transfer to Maimonidies (which is a dungeon, ladies — AVOID THAT PLACE). My two midwives were horrible. I can’t even get into everything now, but trust me, they were uncaring, unprofessional and just horrible. I heard that they have since been fired… good riddance. It took me TWO years to work up the courage to look back on my birth because of them.
On another note, there was a lady named Kate there who saw me before all my appointments for blood draws, etc… she was the shining star of that practice. I hope she’s still there.

Our baby girl is three days old today and she is absolutely perfect. We had the most amazing experience at the BBC.
We switched over from an OB/​GYN when I was 7 months pregnant because we wanted a higher standard of care that was compassionate and holistic, with as little medical intervention as possible. The BBC delivered in a big way.
On the day of our daughter’s birth, everyone came through for us in a big way. I was in so much pain, screaming and sobbing through contractions, asking for epidurals and everything. Aki, the midwife on call, remained calm and tried to help me focus on breathing and finding a rhythm to the contractions. Even though I had my husband and two sisters there to support me, Aki never left and never stopped supporting us. After that, Martha, the birth assistant came in and helped while I was laboring in the pool. Lilian, Linda, and Andrea also stopped by periodically to check on me and help.
Our little girl was born after just three pushes. At that point, I think I was just functioning on primal instinct. Aki, Lilian, Linda, Martha, my doulas, and my husband took care of everything else. The most amazing moment was when they laid her on my chest and we had our first moment as a family of three. Meanwhile, everyone in the room is buzzing about getting me cleaned up, cleaning up baby, and taking care of virtually every detail.
I honestly would not have changed one thing.
At the BBC, there is sometimes a long wait, in a crowded waiting room. They recently changed to a new system and it was a bit disorganized for a bit. But I would take that any day for the level of care and compassion that my husband, daughter, and I experienced. I would recommend them to anyone and of course go back there myself when we decided to expand our family some more.

My baby is almost 11 months now, so that’s how long it took me to actually sit down and write this review! I started my prenatal care at NY Presbyterian in Manhattan and felt like a cow on a conveyor belt. I knew that I did not want to have my baby there. So sometime during my third trimester, I made the switch to Brooklyn Birthing Center and was SO RELIEVED and happy that I did. Even though I came in at a time when staff was changing (summer of 2012), I still received top notch personal care from the midwives and assistants and it really made a difference in terms of my overall comfort level. I can’t imagine any other path, quite frankly. Because when my water broke, I was freaked out and feeling like I took a pound of LSD. So the idea of going to a scary hospital would have made the already intense experience so much worse.
It turned out that my baby was malpositioned, so labor for me stagnated. Even my doula was like, «Come on already» after 16 hours. I had to be transferred, which was unfortunate. But the great thing was that the ambulance crew contracted by BBC was super relaxed and didn’t panic or rush me. They gently guided me to where I needed to be once we got to the hospital. And my midwives were right by my side, holding my hand, every second of the latter part of my birthing journey. Special thanks to Barbara, Andrea and Linda for their support.
If I had to do it all over again, I would change a few things. Firstly, I really wished that the tub water stayed a consistent temperature. My labor stalled every time I felt the water go ice cold. And then when the water was refreshed, it was scalding hot. Not fun. Supposedly the birthing tub at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital is more like a jacuzzi with a constant temperature. BBC really needs to address this and modernize their tub. Second, and VERY IMPORTANT to all mothers birthing at BBC. Even though you might go in there thinking that you have as long as you’d like to carry out your natural birth, it is NOT the case. Due to liability issues, if your labor stalls for too long, you WILL be transferred. I wish I had known this, because maybe I would have stayed longer at home with my doula before arriving at the birthing center. If I was at the farm with Ina May Gaskin and friends, who knows how long I would have been in labor, or if the situation was truly dire enough for a hospital transfer. I try not to focus too much on this, but sometimes I wonder.
All in all, I really do recommend this place. 3 stars for my actual birthing experience here. But I would add two stars for the fact that they truly helped me get off to a good start with breastfeeding. Paula Utilla is a great lactation consultant. And BBC moms who are admitted to Maimonides will receive excellent care and support from Joan, the hospital lactation consultant and educator. She understands that women who so badly wanted to have a natural birth but couldn’t will not give up easily when it comes to establishing a strong breastfeeding start with their babies. Those first days are so critical to building our milk supply. Good luck, moms!

Brooklyn Birthing Center has almost all new staff and new management in the last 1.5 — 2 years. All the hippie alternative midwives have been let go and the Center’s direction now is very professional, medically-​oriented, by the book. These are not the type of midwives who will help you avoid medical intervention in your prenatal care, or give you advice about holistic or alternative remedies. They will not prep you on how to pass your Gestational Diabetes test or your Strep B test– do your own homework! My prenatal care was not very coherent as I always saw different midwives and they didn’t all have the same approach or ideas. I was disappointed that they did not advocate for me to avoid unnecessary intervention during pregnancy. I thought midwives would be more alternative and holistic-​minded but basically these midwives are nurses who come from standard medical backgrounds. Most of them have come from hospitals.
I had to wait about an hour for every appointment.
That said, they absolutely will help you have a natural birth without all the interference you get at hospitals. Here you can eat, drink, walk around, take your time, try different positions, avoid an IV, have your baby in the tub, and keep your baby with you after birth in a peaceful, cozy environment. They are also supportive of breastfeeding and will help you get started.
My birth experience was great and I felt in very capable hands. They will help you have a natural birth, but if you want more of an alternative Ina May style midwife, go for a private one. The Birthing Center is not radical, just what a birth should be and could be in a hospital if our whole approach to childbirth wasn’t so ridiculously over-​medicalized.

I had my first child here in March 2013. I love BBC! What a beautiful alternative birthing space. Our pre-​natal appointments were all on site and handled by the wonderful midwives and birthing assistants. I had the most thorough physical exam my first visit. The staff are all women and everyone feels like a family. By the end of my nine months I knew everyone by name and they knew me and my partner. I even saw my birthing assistant at BAM one night a couple of days before giving birth and we chatted like old friends.
BBC also offers birthing classes, breastfeeding classes, and newborn care classes. I hear this fall they are starting a new mom’s group which I would have joined for sure if it were offered earlier. They are also expanding and adding another birthing suite and other great things. They also offer GYN appointments so I will be returning for my PAP once a year, and any birth control needs.
For a moment during my pregnancy I went into preterm labor and had to be transferred to the hospital. Linda, the head midwife, called me often to check-​in on my progress. I ended up going home after a few days, they were able to stop my contractions and after reaching 37 weeks was able to return to BBC. I felt so supported during the entire process.
They are a gem and so so necessary in this city. I HIGHLY recommend BBC. Our birth was beautiful, my partner and I, our two midwives and our birthing assistant were the only ones in the building during my entire labor. It was very intimate and peaceful. We were able to labor in the water and use the entire space throughout my 12 hour labor. The midwives communicated well throughout the process, while giving me and my partner space do experience things alone.
After we had our baby we fell asleep and after 4 hour of recovery we began to make our way home.
The women are wonderful and come to your home the next day to check in on you and your baby.

I feel as though this practice has taken on more patients than it can actually sustain. Older reviews seem positive. But, they have really lost it.
My initial contact was with a receptionist who seemed either overworked and burned out or wrongly placed in a public-​facing position. Her level of disinterest and terse, monosyllabic replies should have warned me of what was to come. The mandatory orientation was crowded, chaotic, and seemed to be less of an informational session more of a sales pitch.
I was instructed to be 30 minutes early to my intake visit. Upon my arrival I was given a packet of documents to complete that I had already filled out at my orientation. The receptionist did not have any of the papers that I had completed, so, I filled them out again. Then I waited. Overall, my first visit which included an exam and blood draw took over three hours! Although, I was instructed to not leave until I had my ultrasound referral, I finally had to go, as I have two small children who were waiting for at home with a babysitter. I was assured that I would be contacted with the ultrasound information that afternoon. I was not. I called the next day and the next. Finally, three days later, my husband was able to get someone to return my call with my referral information.
I was referred to New Beginnings for my ultrasound. That office is over an hour away from my home, via trains. I arrived for my appointment only to find that they had not received a referral from Brooklyn Birthing Center. So, I had to call for my information to be faxed to their office and wait for that to process before I could be seen.
My second visit with a midwife a BBC was «a waste of time». In her words. She did not know how far along I was or anything else about me as the results of my bloodwork and ultrasound were not available. I had been in four weeks prior, so there had been plenty of time to process and input my information.
My second visit to New Beginnings was smooth and I was able to see my fetus moving and being seemingly healthy. I was told by the tech that I would hear from BBC the results of my ultrasound within a week. I have not, to date.
When I have called with concerns, I have not gotten calls back. I have no intention of wasting any further time, money or energies with such a poorly run establishment. I would not have chosen a birthing center if I had wanted to be just another number, lost and overlooked in the shuffle that is the birthing business.
While at my second visit to BBC, I overheard a very disturbing conversation between two midwives. The essence of it was that multiple patients were in the hospital and had not been seen by their midwives. One had delivered a baby without the midwife and was waiting to be released so that she could go home.
While this is a big city, the natural birthing community is still rather small. Word of mouth still accounts for a great deal. It is a shame that I have nothing good to say about Brooklyn Birthing Center.

I’m writing this review out of frustration with the bk birthing center. They’re currently under renovation so the lobby/​waiting room went from small to non existent, the reception is not very friendly and can be unprofessional at times, the wait time for each appt has always been over an hour for me so far, and as a few ppl have already stated they seem to have an issue with updates and returning phone calls. I’m currently at 32weeks and joined at 19weeks, so while I love my very informative and knowledgeable midwife Andrea I’d probably hire her outside of the birthing center for my next pregnancy or seek another birthing center.

I had my daughter here in June of 2007, after 6 months of caring and thorough prenatal care by Yulia and Kathryn. I don’t want to type out my entire birth story here, suffice to say, my birthing experience was about as perfect as it could get.
I chose BBC because I wanted to avoid the BS (and potential dangers) of the medical-​industrial complex and it ended up being the perfect choice for our family.

Here the receptionist were lovely people but one of the three midwives was an animal. She was one of the most disgusting medical practitioners I have ever met. Mean, nasty and under qualified. As there are no doctors there all midwives there should be certified nurses at the very least. I was so disappointed by my experience there. I knew I was going to have to leave the practice after I was diagnosed with high blood pressure but I never dreamed I would be antagonized and harassed by a staff member. She had returned from maternity leave half way through my pregnancy and right away I didn’t like her bossy vibe. She had some lady sit in on an exam without my permission and was rude and belligerent with me when I asked questions. The other midwives tried to defend her which was also a turn off. They should have spoken to her regarding her behavior and monitored her interactions with patients. The last thing a first time mother needs is a nasty midwife. Rather than help me with my high blood pressure she added to it. Very disappointing.

So I ended up having my baby boy two weeks earlier than projected on Memorial Day, 5÷28÷12! (that makes it a VERY memorable Memorial Day).
I entered into early labor 2 days earlier, on ⁵⁄₂₆ around 3pm while I was in my apartment, chatting with a friend. I have to admit – being my first time and all – I was trying to «keep cool,» but it was hard to concentrate on what my friend was saying because all I could think was, «OMG, I’M GOING INTO LABOR!!» (deep breaths, deep breaths) and my contractions were going from 20 mins apart down to 7 minutes apart in about two hours while I was talking to my friend on my couch. (Thank goodness I had packed my overnight bag a week earlier!)
At this point, I had called BBB and left a message. The midwife on call, Jennifer, got back to me in 5 minutes and talking to her was very soothing since my friend and husband – though supportive – were clueless on how to help me as I started moaning my way when the contractions came rolling on through.
I started going down the «I made a huge mistake not booking this birth with drugs in a hospital» road in my head, but mostly kept my panic to myself. I didn’t think it would be productive to have a pregnant woman in labor coming apart during this delicate situation, but man… those contractions ain’t no joke!
I was convinced I was going to have my son in the tub since Jennifer said she could tell by talking to me that I wasn’t in active labor, (I wasn’t, since I didn’t feel the urge to push), and that I’d be wasting a trip to BBB since she’d just have to send us home if I wasn’t dilated to at least 5 cm and ready to push. Even though I intellectually understood what she was saying, emotionally, it was very hard to hear that I wasn’t going to find a way to make the pain subside and that no one had a definite answer when that would be – you just don’t know how long your early labor is going to last. Jennifer recommended sitting in my own tub for as long as I could, putting towels in garbage bags to prop me up as pillows. I lasted like that for about 2 hours, all the while moaning every 6 minutes for about a minute. I really thought I was going to lose my mind!
By 8pm, I was begging Jennifer to let me come into BBB and push the baby out, but she said she could still tell by how I was describing my pain/​contractions that I wasn’t in active labor yet, but sure, come on in around 9pm and she’d check to see how dilated I was. My husband and friend packed the car and I did the movie-​version of the pregnant woman trying to walk down the stairs while having contractions and trying not to scream her freaking head off since the pain is so bad and you’re so upset that you’ve been in this state for hours.
After an agonizing drive, (we live about 15 minutes away in Prospect Heights), by car and a quick check-​up, Jennifer confirmed that I was only 2 cm dilated and unfortunately, would have to be sent home since the focus of BBB was to help the ladies push their babies out, not be a lounge until you’re ready, so that was so depressing/​anticlimatic.
Jennifer said I could call her as often and whenever I wanted to. I kept having contractions every 6 – 10 minutes until 5am when I begged her to come back in. I just couldn’t stand the pain and couldn’t believe that I could still be 2 cm when the pain was that acute, but she really recommended that I stay at home as long as I could since I’d be more comfortable in my own surroundings and she didn’t want to send me home a second time. By 7am I said I was confident that I was more dilated, so my husband and I went to BBB or the second time around 9am when Jennifer’s shift was ending and Gabriella’s was beginning.
Unfortunately, I was barely but 3 cm at this point, even though I had been in labor for 18 hours. Both Jennifer & Gabriella suggested that I take an Ambien that they would prescribe so I could «sleep» since I had not slept in over 24 hours and my body was exhausted since the contractions kept waking me up every time I would close my eyes. I took the pill around 11am and had a very fitful nap for about 2 hours and the contractions kept waking me up, so around 2pm, I called Gabriella and updated her on the situation. She, like Jennifer, said she could tell that it’d be a waste of my time to come on in since it sounded like I wasn’t in active labor and she’d have to send me home AGAIN.
I held out for another 18 hours until I went to BBB for the last time and was only 3 cm after almost 50 hours of labor, so I was transferred to Maimondes for a C-​section since it was decided that my birth canal was too narrow. Andrea the midwife accompanied me there and was just an angel throughout the whole ordeal, being my cheerleader and one of the first people to hold my baby!
I really tried my hardest to have a natural childbirth and think had things worked out differently for me, BBB would have been a great choice for that, but alas, I had my son born healthy, and that’s all that matters, right?

I chose the Brooklyn Birthing Center in 2011 for the fact that I’ve always wanted a natural water birth. and considering we don’t have any hospitals in Brooklyn with a birthing center /​environment or tubs… I knew this would be the place for me… I transferred over from my reg ob/​gyn/​midwives practice at 4 months. Attended their mandatory orientation — and learned everything about the practice… I paid a nice chunk of change (out of pocket) to use them –since my fabulous/Sh*tty Aetna insurance doesn’t cover birthing centers… but I was happy to pay it so that I could have the experience I wanted.
Everyone at BBC is extremely friendly… I love that the office is small and has a home type feeling… I never waited more than 10 minutes for an appt. to start and was always treated with warmth. I had a few appts with Barri (who I adored)…then most of my evening appts ended up being with Asya and Yuliya.
Towards the end — at around 36 weeks — they did send me off for a sonogram just to check on the baby’s weight/etc…and I hate the place where they send you! its just so darn far — and very inconvenient… not even in our neighbourhood — but a $ 20 + taxi ride away — near Fort Hamilton Parkway… that aggravated me — but I digress.
Lets get to the birth! — So after paying out of pocket and becoming truly excited at having my peaceful/​non intervention — water birth — guess what! — – I ended up being transferred to the hospital… but all in good reason. Basically my son came at 38 weeks (full term)…and he came very quickly. My birth lasted total — 5 hours.(LUCKY ME! hehe)… Contractions started at 7;30pm at home. 4 minutes apart — just like that. — with no warning… I called the midwives — and Yuliya/​Asya were shocked at how calm I was — because if your contractions are 4 minutes apart — you should be in some serious pain. but I was just uncomfortable… nothing horrid… Asya was on call that night — and had me meet her at the Birthing Center for 10:30pm. I got there — and guess what. — — I was 8 cm already… WHOO HOO… BUT — there was meconium (baby poop) present in the bit of water that was leaking — AND baby’s heart rate was a little too high — therefore NOT safe for a water birth. Ambulance was called and Asya and my sister and sister in law came right along to the hospital.
Asya delivered my son at 12:45am — 10/20/11…safely and soundly… no drugs… no epidural… and no Drs… just her and a lovely nurse… So even though I ended up being in the hospital — I still had a natural birth and we are both just fine. Yuliya came to visit me the next day — and I only stayed in the hospital for one night — as they gave permission for me to leave early. I recovered quickly and was back on my feet almost immediately.
So in the end — I am very satisfied with the service/​treatment I received from BBC — and if I choose to have another — I will choose them again. They were very supportive and always made me feel welcome and not rushed. I highly recommend them to any woman seeking a natural/​non medicated birth.
Maybe next time — I can make it to the darn tub! lol

I had my baby in April 2011 at the BBC. The midwife who helped us deliver our baby safely was Bari. She was awesome. Yuliya and Asya and Kate were also extremely helpful and supportive throughout the time I was there. I have nothing but great things to say about the actual birth and my treatment by midwife Bari.
Now to the horrible part about the BBC. They’re billing practices are deplorable.
I came to the BBC in December 2010 for an orientation to decide if I wanted to switch from my OBGYN to the BBC’s midwives. I asked for information on the costs from the start because that was also a determining factor for me and my husband. I was told for a obgyn care from start to finish (9month) pregnancy would cost approximately $ 9,000 out of pocket. Typically a client paying out of pocket would pay $ 1000 a month until delivery. I was fortunate to have insurance that would cover a significant portion of the costs. And since I came in the very beginning of my third trimester, my costs were supposed to be less than $ 9,000. NOT TRUE AT ALL.
In February 2011, I received my first estimated bill for $ 3,600. Needless to say I was shocked and anxious. I was told I could pay it up front (as if it were chump change) and then they would reimburse me the money AFTER my insurance company paid the bill to them first. I am also glad I didn’t agree to pay them up front because I’ve heard and read that other women had a hard time getting any of their money back after the BBC received their payment from the insurance company. Instead, I was able to contact my insurance company and get them to send the BBC a letter (predetermination of benefit letter) stating what they would pay for the facility fee. The BBC charges the person paying out of pocket $ 3,000 for the facility fee, but +$ 4,000 to the insurance company. Once that was cleared up I felt confident that we could have the baby at the BBC and the costs would not be prohibitive. All I paid right before the baby was my deductible.
Fast forward to the storm of bills that came after the baby.
First I get a check from the insurance company to cover the facility fee. I just signed the +$ 4,200 check (in its entirety) directly over to the BBC. Mistake number 1. As soon as they cashed the check, I got a separate bill for another $ 700 for the baby’s care. I was confused because from December 2010, I had asked them to tell me everything I had to cover to have a baby at the BBC and all I ever got for the estimated bill was $ 3,600. I called the BBC and it was so much work to get a simple answer because the billing office is separate from the BBC and NO you can’t talk to the billing office directly you have to go through the BBC. And they don’t always return calls immediately or at all.
So I reluctantly paid the bill in October 2011. Guess what happened. I got another bill in November… this time the bill in was for +$ 6,000 and it didn’t reflect the last payment i made in October. When i called to inquire about this bill, I was told this was for the medical service separate from the facility fee of +$ 4,000. Luckily my insurance company agreed to pay this bill. I decided that this time around I would deposit the check into my bank account and write them a check to have a record for these bills and payments. I was concerned that I would receive more bills and have no record of my payments to the BBC. I however, wanted to get an itemized bill of everything I owed them. So I held off on sending the final payment until I got the itemized bill. They finally sent me a bill after a month. So in January I sent them a final bill for $ 5,700 minus a $ 150 charge I paid for the baby’s hearing test. I didn’t feel I should’ve paid that money in October because when the midwife came to my house the hearing test machine was broken so she couldn’t perform the test. And when I came back for my six week visit, the machine wasn’t in the office. So he didn’t have a hearing test. So why should I pay $ 150 for a service I never received.
Guess what happened in January 2012. I received another bill for $ 150. But this bill was for a supposed balance I had from March 2011 that wasn’t on any of my bills including the itemized bill received in November. And I was told by the office manager Abbé, that I was given a courtesy credit for the baby’s hearing test because there’s no way to prove I was telling the truth. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? First of all, I considered her tone to be incredibly RUDE and condescending and I felt she was suggesting that I was lying. After paying more than $ 1,000 out of pocket and close to $ 12,000 from my insurance company, I’m now lying about $ 150. This is what prompted me to write this review.
The BBC has a wonderful group of midwives who I believe will give you and your baby and your family excellent care. HOWEVER the billing practices held by this organization are egregious at best. Get them to tell you your costs up front or you’ll be VERY sorry!

I received 90% of my prenatal care through Maimonides, but transferred to BBC at the last minute (I think it was around 34 weeks). I planned on giving birth to my son Benjamin at BBC, but after many hours of labor in one of their birthing rooms (which was really comforting, by the way), I hadn’t progressed beyond 7 cm, so I was transferred to Maimonides mid-​labor. My midwife was Asya. I am very appreciative for all that she did for me. My one qualm is that it took her over 40 mins. to get to the hospital from the birthing center while I was in labor (my mother got me from the birthing center to the hospital in 15 mins. and while in labor, as I’m sure you can imagine, each minute feels like an hour). After giving birth, I was visited by another midwife from BBC (Barri), who said something shocking that has (unfortunately) stuck with me ever since my delivery. When she found out I was in labor for almost 24 hours (7 hours at home, 9 hours at BBC, and 7 hours at Maimonides), and that after 7 cm I wasn’t progressing (which is why they transferred me in the first place, and ended up breaking my water manually), she leaned over to Asya and said «Ha, if it was me I would’ve gone with the C-​section hours ago!»… Excuse me, but, what? C-​section? Isn’t avoiding c-​sections the very reason I chose a birthing center over a hospital? Thank God that Asya stuck it through with me (from 4pm until 8am the next morning) and I ended up having the natural birth I wanted. Thinking that if Barri was on call that night, that I might’ve had an unnecessary C-​section, horrifies me.
My experience with BBC overall was positive, and I do hope to go back here when I’m pregnant with baby #2, but I know I’m going to be uneasy if Barri ends up being my midwife during my next delivery.
I’d also like to state that Kate Klein (who is a birthing assistant) is one of the sweetest women EVER! And her presence during appointments and labor really made me feel at ease.

This will likely be a review of the BBC in several updates. My estimated due date is June 14, and yesterday I went to the BBC for the first time for a tour of the facility. The center is homey and spotless, with plenty of space (in an NYC kinda way) for your birth entourage, if you have one. Kathryn is the Center’s director and gave the tour and a short talk on the service and the thinking behind BBC care. She also went over some nuts and bolts of care like what to bring to your birth, what to expect of the prenatal visits and dealing with insurance. I thought it was a wonderful alternative to hospital birth in NYC. I have every intention of transferring my care to BBC. More updates as the pregnancy progresses.

I had both of my daughters at the BBC.
Kathryn was my midwife with my first daughter. She is honest, frank, funny, confident and most importantly very skilled. I labored through the night and went into heavy labor by 10−11am. I went in to the center by noon and had my daughter in the tub at about 3:30. It was intense, very painful but ultimately exhilarating. Kathryn was the perfect guide through this process. The center is an intimate setting, warm and cozy. In retrospect, I CAN NOT imagine birthing outside of a tub — or being on my back in stirrups in a hospital. I think the setting of where you choose to give birth is almost as important as WHO your health care provider is.
With my second daughter, the birthing experience was INFINITELY easier. The labor was very light — except that the contractions kept getting closer together, so I figured getting to the center was a good idea! She practically birthed herself about 40 minutes after I walked in the door, with Yuliya, Asya and Andrea on hand to help. The tough part came after the birth, when my placenta didn’t want to free itself from the inside of my uterus. Despite all the midwives best efforts (and mine!) it wouldn’t budge. They offered to transfer me to the hospital, but I didn’t want to go, so they offered to call in the OB/​GYN that consults (only when asked) on their practice (I had never met him before that day!). He came in — and — you guessed it, reached in and manually removed my persistent placenta. NEEDLESS to say, this was wildly uncomfortable, in light of the fact that I HAD JUST GIVEN BIRTH! But I was spared a hospital transfer and ended up staying the night at the center with my husband (Kathryn came to the center to babysit me). I was put on a Petocin drip overnight to ensure that all the placenta would expel.
And at the end of the day, I’ve got 2 gorgeous girls to show for it. I am blessed beyond measure and enormously grateful to the important work that these ladies do on behalf of women.

I believe (d) in Natural Childbirth — and without Kathryn & Yuliya’s help from the Brooklyn Birthing Center I don’t know where I’d be. This is THE only place to go to have your child in a drug-​free (or reduced), holistic setting.
The midwives and caring and professional.
I can not say enough great things about Kathryn Abelson or Dr. Norma Veridiamo. (She retired, I think.)
Even after 18.5 hours of «natural» labor — my labor stalled and I wound up having a C-​section at Maimonides. Kathryn and my doula (not from Brooklyn Birthing — I hired her separately) stood by me. A total of 26.5 hours later — I had a beautiful, healthy albeit teeny-​tiny 5 lb 1 oz baby girl.
I can not thank the BBC enough for the HIGH quality pre and post natal care I received.
G-​D bless them!

don’t Unilocalers believe in natural childbirth? someone else needs to review this place in the next 8 months!