The State of Natural Birth in New York

Journalist Julie Satow, author of The Plaza: The Secret Life of America's Most Famous Hotel (Twelve, forthcoming), discusses her reporting on the closing of the Mt. Sinai birthing center and why New York lags so far behind when it comes to providing safe and healthy natural birth care.

→Why New York Lags So Far Behind on Natural Childbirth (New York Times, 11/30/2018)

I was terrified of having a C-section, and in the end gave natural birth in 20 minutes in triage at NYU Langone. Apparently if you're fast enough you can avoid pitocin - and even an IV in my case.

— Erin Finnegan (@erinf) December 6, 2018

I had natural childbirth-1st time because the resident didn't give me epidural in time, the 2nd because it was quick & I didn't trust anesthesia resident, & 3rd because I figured he'd be quicker than #2 (wrong). But I wouldn't want childbirth out of hospital in case of emergency.

— Muddle-Age Spread (@muddleagespread) December 6, 2018

@BrianLehrer we did St Luke's Roosevelt birthing center, w option for conventional treatment . The nurses were incredibly sophisticated (and all from Philippines and west indies). For nxt child we did conventional delivery there--nurse exp. not good!

— superf88 (@_superf88_) December 6, 2018

@BrianLehrer I’m concerned this conversation is only telling one half of the story. Specifically, no doctors have participated in this conversation. Doulas and midwives cannot deliver the same services and doctors such as post natal hemorrhage or emergencies in the newborn.

— Alana Sigmund (@alanaecohen) December 6, 2018