Park Slope Midwives

I was recommended to this place by a nurse, I called to assure that they took my health insurance, to whom I spoke to on the phone was very rude and honestly shouldn’t be working in a place like this, I simply asked her if they took my insurance gave her the name of my insurance and her reply was no «I don’t even know what that is» so I kindly said if you don’t know what insurance that is how do you know it’s not accepted, her nasty reply was because I know what we accept. How rude can you be!

My wife just delivered with psm. Everyone was really nice and very helpful. Her prodromal labor was intense and very long and they were very responsive to her when she called them in lots and lots of pain. God help you with parking there but it’s worth it.

I delivered my baby boy with Park Slope Midwives in November 2015 and was extremely happy with the service they provided. I transferred to the group during my second trimester and couldn’t be happier. Each office visit was smooth and they took their time with me, answering any questions and keeping me informed. A few times I arrived a little early for my appointment as they were often schedule before I had to be at work and they were able to see me a little early which made a huge difference to me schedule.
For my actual delivery my waters broke 5 weeks early so all was a little sudden and rushed. Roseanne met me at the hospital and put me at ease. Her shift ended soon after and Betsy took over from there. I was so happy with the service she provided. She was direct and to the point which was exactly what you need when you are in labor! She listened to all my concerns and talked with me when I was able to talk. She guided me through the labor and never pushed anything on me. When it got to the pushing stage she was a great coach — I had no idea what I was doing!!! All in all I was extremely happy with the service PSM provided and would defiantly recommend them, especially in you want to have a natural, non invasive birth. Thank you Betsy, Roseanne and team!

I liked some of the midwives in this practice, but not all. I thought I had met all of the midwives during my routine visits, but then I had a 7^th one during my delivery who I hadn’t known about. I would have preferred someone more calming (I’ve delivered with other midwife practices, so I have what to compare this experience to). I also had to argue with the midwife while pushing about lying on my side to push out my baby. She wanted me on my back and when I insisted on lying on my side, she said that I’d have to hold up my leg on my own (vs. other midwives who tell you to put your leg on their shoulder). That was uncomfortable. As for the hospital, it was not a good experience. I walked into the hospital by myself (my husband was parking the car) when I was in the transition stage of labor. The triage nurse basically ignored me and when I insisted I needed antibiotics right away (I was Group B strep +), they took their time and refused to admit me until I signed papers. I was in pain from the contractions and worried about my baby’s health since I knew that I was at the end of my labor and wouldn’t have time for both doses of antibiotics, so I didn’t want to waste time reading and signing papers. I signed the papers after I realized they (and the park slope midwife) wouldn’t budge, and she checked me right away and I was 9 centimeters. Once they saw that, they finally gave me attention and took things seriously. I wish they had believed me that I was at the end of my labor. Also, I’d say about half of the nurses who took care of me after I delivered were good, and half shouldn’t be nurses who deal with people. Overall, not a great experience.

I don’t usually write negative reviews but I feel compelled to share my experiences at this clinic.
For my first few visits, I didn’t feel like I received much in the way of guidance or help, but rather just a lot of extremely negative and judgmental blather about weight gain. There was no discussion per se, or even questions about my actual diet and the different requirements for pregnancy, but rather blanket aphorisms about the need to «eat healthily.»
At one point, the midwife in question told me that one of her patients had gained 100 pounds during pregnancy.
Since changing practices, I want to make a few points about this.
Let’s take the example of that 100 pound weight gain story. Here’s my question: so WHAT? There was no discussion about whether that weight gain actually caused any problems, such as diabetes, difficult birth or any other issues. Second, I had at that point gained about ten pounds. So why the hell was I getting that kind of anecdote?
And here’s the other thing. It has taken me until now, 30 weeks pregnant, to realize that I needed to basically triple the amount of protein in my diet. That was the whole problem. Until I realized that, on my own, I had ZERO energy and was experiencing constant nausea and insomnia. It was impossible, in that state, to plan or prepare meals. I was in pure survival mode. I don’t know how much more clearly I could have said, «I hear you when you tell me I need to do X. I am telling you I don’t know HOW to do X. Tell me how.» The message never got through. Instead, I felt belittled and ashamed. Sadly, this did effect my experience of pregnancy. The truth is that I normally eat abnormally healthily – almost no junkfood, certainly no soda, very little fried food – but what is «healthy» during normal times is totally different to what is «healthy» during pregnancy. That seems like a very obvious and basic conversation for the midwife to engage; she did not. I would go home in tears.
I have a secret suspicion that the midwife in question might have her own eating disorder issues, but I don’t know, which is why I’m not naming her.
Anyway, I am very glad I changed practices and my new midwife/​OBGYN told me that they think weight is just a number: they actually tested me to see whether I’m at risk for diabetes (not even close) and whether my baby is overweight (she’s actually on the small side.) They said they don’t want to see me wind up with post partum depression but they understand that what I am feeling now, guilt and shame, is equally important. So they told me to just give myself a break. And now that I’ve figured out the protein thing, I am finally feeling better and I’m able to exercise more than at any point earlier in my pregnancy. What a difference this new attitude has made.

I had a baby with PS Midwives in November 2014. The office on 9^th did have long wait times, but I was given very personal, individual attention at each and every appointment. I would rather wait a little longer for my appointment to allow other moms to receive individualized care, than be on time and get the sterile, callous treatment I got at my previous OBGYN. The front desk staff is old school Brooklyn. Straight to the point, no nonsense, but a very loving woman! She is very overwhelmed as you can see while waiting in the waiting room. All the midwives were very open to my wants for my birth and pregnancy experience and they explained all tests as options (along with the pros and cons) rather than obligations. They made the experience feel like a positive life event rather than a pathological medical intervention. They were exactly what I wanted in a midwife practice; open, flexible, available, caring and simple.

I delivered my first daughter with them a year ago.
PSM was a mixture of feeling the entire way through. Sometimes I wanted to switch places and then other times I felt great about it.
The office is tiny and always crowded. It feels a little chaotic in there at times. I wish it just felt a bit more comfortable in there and more up-​to-​date.
The receptionist is kind but can be difficult to deal with. Like another reviewer said, you have to take it with a grain of salt.
I didn’t mind always having a different midwife but when it came time to delivery I had Tonya who I never met even previously, but was amazing and I was super happy with her delivering my baby.
I wish I could choose her again without PSM or the hospital.
The hospital I found hugely disappointing. I hear such great things and the tour seemed wonderful. But it was horrible there. No one came by at all about breast feeding. I had to ask several times. It took a few hours till I got someone for some guidance and reassurance. Then they forgot to bath her, and when I asked them to they took her away and I swear they were not going to bring her back at all so I had to creep around the hallway asking people and no one seemed to know. Very uncomfortable. My baby had a tongue tie which no one know how to help me with. We paid for a private room and had to wait a full day till we even got in. It just felt so unorganized and no one was really helpful for a first time mom.
PSM did an awesome delivery, but I’m still not sure I would use them again.
I’d like a warmer, more comfortable experience next time.

I really wanted to have a natural birth and chose Park Slope Midwives because they were affiliated with Brooklyn Methodist Hospital which was where I wanted to deliver.
I have to say that from the beginning, I just never felt like this practice was a great fit for me. It was never so bad that I felt I needed to find someone else but it was also never such a great experience that I felt that I bonded with any one midwife (besides at the birth, which I’ll get to). I felt like they were so overwhelmed with patients that the quicker they could usher me in and out of the appointment, the better. That would have been okay except I always had about a half hour to 45 minute wait for my 10 minute appointment.
Mostly, the appointments were uneventful and quick except for the time that Jessie (one of the lead midwives) felt the need to question my choice of not following up on my high risk (¹⁄₂₆₀) Downs Syndrome assessment. She felt that I needed to know whether or not the baby had Downs to avoid being disappointed in the delivery room and she felt there would be the chance of «shunning» my baby at birth. I had already made my decision and was clear with her about it and I was extremely upset that she rehashed such a sensitive subject when I had already moved forward. Since there is a rotation of midwives there, I worried that she would be the one to deliver my baby and more than anything, I didn’t want that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure plenty of people love her I just didn’t.
Most importantly though, Donna was the midwife who delivered my baby and I was beyond thrilled with her expertise. It really did make up for the unsavory experience I had throughout the pregnancy because she supported my natural birth plans and when I felt like giving in and getting an epidural, she told me that she believed that I could go without. There aren’t enough positive things I could say about Donna. She really was fantastic!!!
But of course, after the birth, come the bills! Trying to get in touch with someone at Park Slope Midwives about billing is a difficult task considering the fact that they are closed weekends and the person in charge of billing is only in on Thursdays. I had to call to have my bill sent, which was strange, and when the bill was higher than we had anticipated PSM begrudgingly let us set up a payment plan. We sent in the first payment and a month later, when the bill never came, I called to see where it was and Maureen seemed shocked that I would want a bill. She assumed that we would just send a check in every month and sarcastically chuckled when I said that had expected a bill. I would have been fine sending the check in without the bill had I known that that was what she wanted but she never communicated that.
Overall, my experience wasn’t awful and the birth was fantastic but the next time I’m pregnant I will not go back to PSM and I can’t say that I would ever recommend them either.

Just amazing. Supportive every step of the way. I had a complicated delivery and my baby and I are happy and healthy thanks to these amazing midwives. Thank you Jessi and Roseanne!!!

I started seeing PSM in Park Slope (9^th Street) when I became pregnant (my GYN no longer delivers babies). I’ll start with the positive: I have been fortunate enough to see the same midwife when I’ve been, and she is to-​the-​point, which I like. This is my first baby, and I feel comfortable asking them questions. Their hours are incredibly convenient (they have late appointments, making it possible for my husband to accompany me), which is great. And, they are close to NYM hospital, making testing convenient as well.
Although I have only been for a few appointments, I have been a bit dissatisfied with the receptionist services (scheduling my first appointment via phone, being checked in, etc.). I know it is not the easiest of jobs, but there is a level of professionalism, organization, and general courtesy that one should expect from a visit to a doctor’s office. But, from my perspective, the benefits (good midwives, convenient hours, lots of positive delivery reviews) outweigh the negative reception experience, so I’m hoping to stick with them through my delivery.

I delivered with these ladies last year. Originally, I was going to go with a practice at Lenox (which has scary high c-​section rates), but decided against it because of the distance. When I was three months pregnant, I took a good long look at how big a nine month pregnant woman is. No way did I want to haul myself, on the subway! So I look for an alternative and found these guys.
The receptionist is a sweetie, but can be abrasive. I just took it with a grain of salt and was nice to her, even if she was grouchy with me, which did happen a few times. I’ve worked as a receptionist, it’s thankless work all around.
I appreciated the mid-​wife rotation, but do agree that it would have been great to choose who I delivered with. In the end, I think I had the best for my case, and delivered with Betsy. She used to be the lead mid-​wife at St. Vincent’s. Without her, I would have had a c-​section. All the doc’s at Methodist were prepared to do a c-​section, but she avoided it.
Overall, I recommend them. They are highly trained to avoid most of the common interventions. I did have to have an epidural, but that beats a c-​section in my book.

I had a great experience with the Park Slope Midwives. They have taken extremely good care of me. I’m so happy that I chose their practice for prenatal care and for the birth of my daughter. My follow-​ups have been great too.

I just had my baby with them and even though we had to schedule a csection due to breech presentation, a midwife was with me the entire time. They are so supportive, nurturing and knowledgeable. To top things off, a midwife returned my call within minutes on a holiday after I left a message about a possible infection I was worried about. These ladies know what they are doing and the have great bedside manner. My favorite midwives are Anne, Donna and Roseanne.

For a regular gynecological visits I am sure these ladies are great. Receptionist when I went was quite rude to nasty. I transferred from the Brooklyn Birthing Center late in my first pregnancy which did not ensure the best care. Perhaps if I had been with them the entire pregnancy it would have been a better experience. I did not meet any of the actual birthing midwives until I was giving birth. They were cold and too busy to be bothered with me. It was a miserable experience except that I had a beautiful healthy baby at the end. Which was thanks to a surgeon. They were more than anxious to send me under the knife. There was NO WAY I was going to have my second baby with them. Very disappointing.

I switched to Park Slope Midwives from Beth Israel during my 2^nd trimester. I saw all of the midwives for at least one appointment and found them all to be friendly and patient. I gave birth at Methodist with them, and I was never pressured to ‘hurry up’, or have any interventions. I gave birth without an epidural, and the midwife really helped guide and coach my pushing at the end so I needed no stitches. Highly recommended!

Starting at 20 weeks pregnant, I switched to Park Slope Midwives from a more standard OB-​GYN practice on the Upper East Side. Immediately I saw a real difference: at the other office, harried and often only half-​competent nurses pulled women out of the waiting room after an average of an hour’s wait to ask redundant questions, weigh them and take their blood pressure, and then leave them in an exam room to wait for another good length of time to finally see the doctor.
At PSM, as soon as they enter, women test their own urine and weigh themselves, both of which they do in the privacy of a bathroom. The longest wait I’ve ever had after that and before seeing a midwife was maybe half an hour, once, and that wait came accompanied by numerous apologies. The midwives — at this point, I’ve seen four out of five — are competent, friendly, warm, hands-​on, and intelligent, with great bedside manner. From the moment they come to take my blood pressure, they seem to actually care about how I’m doing.
They leave me feeling affirmed, too, which is a bonus I’d happily pay extra for if I had to. Luckily, it comes free of charge.
I’m holding onto the fifth star only because I haven’t gone through labor and delivery yet. But I do feel much more relaxed about the prospect than I did when I was in the hands of my previous doctors.

To start off with, I am SOOO thankful I will NOT be delivering my baby or receiving the rest of my prenatal care with PSM. The midwives are nice people, but they are not very thorough, they do not spend much time on appointments (5 minutes tops… makes a first time mama feel nervous), and they are vague in answers to questions and didn’t really explain testing that they are recommending or share and explain results.
When I first went for my yearly check-​up (before I was pregnant), I was impressed by the time that Jessie took to explain things to me and ask me questions. It was the best pap smear experience I’d had.
Sadly, I was disappointed when it came to prenatal appointments. That kind of care did NOT follow.
I thought, from the reviews I’ve read about them, that I’d be receiving great care, but I was extremely disappointed. I am thankful to be with a new set of midwives, in another city, who are thorough (and also in disbelief by my experience with PSM). I feel really sorry for anyone who has to use the PSM for their prenatal care and delivery. After my last appointment with them I wanted to THROW A PARTY! I was so happy to be done with them and off to my new midwives.
Another thing I didn’t like was the rotation of midwives. I’d prefer to have a midwife to work with instead of floating between multiple ones. I guess this isn’t a completely uncommon practice for midwives — just not something i would want myself.
Also, there have been some comments in the past about the receptionist. She was nice enough to me, but I saw some unpleasant interactions with another mama-​to-​be. That kind of energy is NOT what you want to be feeling when you are waiting for you appointment. Typical NY I guess… I suggest going somewhere else where the midwives have time to be more thorough on their job.

Park Slope Midwives delivered my second son three weeks ago at Methodist hospital and I had a very positive experience. I choose the midwife group after reading so many positive reviews here and on local parenting websites. They were awesome! I had my first son with a local OB and had a bad experience being induced and then suffering a 4^th degree tear after the birth. I was very fearful that that woudl happen again but the midwives advised me of natrual ways to go into labor on time and how to labor without pain medication. The midwives helped me to have my second son completely natural and the difference between the two births was tremendous.
As far the office goes I never had any problems with anyone nor did I ever have to wait long to see a midwife. Everyone was friendly and remembered my name when I came in. I also really liked that they had evening hours. When it came time to give birth I had two midwives with me helping me out and reassuring me that I could get through it without pain medication and I did! I cannot praise them enough.

I’m genuinely surprised by the negative reviews here. PSM delivered my son and now provide my ongoing well woman visits. My experiences with them have been generally positive. A few of the midwives have been in the business a very long time and can come across as a bit jaded, but no one ever hesitated to answer my questions when I was pregnant and I found them to all be friendly and professional. They are not the crunchiest of midwives, so if someone is looking for a birth-​center style experience, this may not be the place for you. But, if you want smart, professional midwives, with a fairly low c-​section rate, who do not push interventions but do not reject them either, PSM might be a good fit.

I have called Park Slope Midwives three times and I was put off by the receptionists each time. I found them to be short and unprofessional. Being newly pregnant I am already experiencing some level of anxiety and I found myself more anxious after each phone call. I made the decision to use a midwife in order to experience a more holistic and efficient approach to pregancy and health care. I have since consulted another Midwife and am very happy with their services. I would highly recommend Clementine to anyone who is willing to have a home birth.