Pregnancy Care

From your first prenatal visit to follow-up care after delivery, NYU Langone’s obstetricians are committed to providing the safest patient-centered pregnancy and childbirth experience for you and your baby, while also providing emotional and psychological support through this eventful time in your life.

After childbirth, babies and new mothers room together until both can be discharged safely, which is a minimum of 24 hours after delivery.

Each year, more than 15,000 babies are born at Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, and NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island. We are certified by The Joint Commission for our excellence in advanced perinatal care, which is the period prior, during, and after childbirth. In addition, our hospitals have achieved Baby-Friendly status in recognition of our commitment to breastfeeding and supporting parent–baby bonding after birth.

Prenatal Care

Your obstetrician helps you prepare for pregnancy by recommending lifestyle changes, such as encouraging exercise and a healthy diet, helping you quit smoking, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases and genetic conditions. We also review how certain health conditions, including adult congenital heart disease, lupus, kidney disease, and some orthopedic conditions, could affect pregnancy, and provide referrals to specialists as needed. If you have been having difficulty conceiving, we can refer you to our fertility experts.

During pregnancy, your doctor monitors your and your baby’s health through regular office visits and diagnostic testing. This includes ultrasound exams and fetal monitoring to track your baby’s growth and development, and genetic testing for conditions that could affect the pregnancy.

To help you prepare for your baby, we offer parent education classes and support groups on pregnancy; childbirth; breastfeeding; and newborn, infant, and toddler parenting. We can also connect you with social work services as needed.

High-Risk Pregnancy Care

Certain preexisting conditions or complications that develop during pregnancy can require specialized medical care. NYU Langone’s maternal–fetal medicine specialists are obstetrician–gynecologists with advanced training in managing the health and wellbeing of the mother and baby during a high-risk pregnancy. We provide advanced fetal imaging that detects congenital defects, including heart disease, cleft lip and palate, kidney abnormalities, and placenta abnormalities. Referral to our Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Program is available as appropriate.

Labor and Delivery

We encourage all expectant patients to develop a birth plan, which outlines their preferences for labor and delivery, including who will accompany you during labor, how you want to manage pain, and any newborn care requests. Our goal is to help you have the best possible birth experience in the safest environment.

Our skilled labor and delivery teams include highly experienced physicians who serve as patient safety officers, supporting your obstetrician by providing around-the-clock monitoring of all people in labor to ensure the safest deliveries and best outcomes. Infants who need the most advanced care are brought to the NICU at Tisch Hospital, which is a state-designated Regional Perinatal Center equipped to provide the highest level of newborn care. Care for babies born prematurely or with low birth weight is also provided at the NICU at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn and the NICU at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island.

Childbirth takes place in our labor and delivery suites, and doulas and other childbirth partners are invited to join in accordance with our visitor guidelines. Our anesthesiologists are available at all times to provide several options for pain relief. These include medications that can be delivered through an IV in your arm or spinal epidural anesthesia, as well as relaxation techniques such as massage and taking a shower.

We guide women through vaginal birth, and perform cesarean birth when medically necessary. Our skilled labor and delivery teams can also support vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) delivery. We encourage skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, and our lactation consultants provide breastfeeding or chestfeeding education and support.

Postnatal Care

After delivery, your baby stays in your room with you to encourage mother–baby bonding. We limit your hospital stay so that you can go home as soon as is medically safe for you and your baby, which is at a minimum 24 hours after delivery. A follow-up visit with your doctor is then scheduled for several weeks after delivery. If you experience symptoms of postpartum depression, including irritability, anxiety, and difficulty bonding with your baby, we can refer you to mental health experts who can help.