Labor & Delivery

Pain management during labor

At NewYork-Presbyterian, we provide state-of-the-art pain management while respectfully considering your individual preferences and desires. Our dedicated team of obstetric anesthesiologists provides 24-hour service with a pre-anesthesia consultation to develop individualized plans to help relieve the pain and discomfort associated with childbirth. While some may choose non-pharmacologic pain management methods — relaxation, visualization, and breathing techniques —a labor epidural is safe and available for labor pain relief.

Labor pain management during C-section

Our obstetric anesthesiologists are experts in managing labor pain and the provision of anesthesia for cesarean deliveries. With epidural analgesia, patients are offered patient-controlled analgesia using a computer-controlled pump, which provides some control over how much epidural medication is received. This enables us to meet your pain management needs and keep you comfortable while you are in the hospital.

Enhanced recovery after C-section (ERACeD)

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS®) is a patient-centered, evidence-based approach to care used before, during, and after surgery to improve outcomes and the patient experience. At NewYork-Presbyterian, we have established an Enhanced Recovery after Cesarean Delivery (ERACeD) program to decrease post-operative surgical complications after cesarean delivery and empower patients with self-care tools to enhance their recovery.

The NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Enhanced Recovery after Cesarean Delivery (ERACeD) program, in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, is investigating ways to promote safe and cautious opioid prescriptions after cesarean delivery, and raise awareness about the risks associated with excessive opioid use postpartum.

Well-baby nurseries

At NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns and the Sloane Hospital for Women, healthy infants are cared for in our well-baby nurseries. The Well-Baby Nursery Care team, comprised of attending pediatricians, pediatric residents, pediatric nurse practitioners, mother-baby nurses, and lactation consultants, provides complete care for term and near-term newborns from birth through discharge, including guidance for the parents.

Well-baby care, which may occur in the nursery or at your bedside, includes:

• Complete physical examination of infants upon admission to the nursery and again on the day of discharge
• Assessment and management of breastfeeding mothers and their infants
• Daily evaluation of infants by the attending pediatrician and nursery healthcare team
• Management of infants with common problems such as weight loss, jaundice, and breastfeeding issues
• Performance of mandated New York State screening tests for all infants
• Administration of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine
• Administration of New York State mandated birth dose of vitamin K and erythromycin ointment.

Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs)

NewYork-Presbyterian neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are among the country's most experienced and highly regarded units. Our state-of-the-art Level IV NICUs—the highest level of neonatal care available—care for more than 1,500 critically ill infants each year. This may include low birth weight babies, premature babies, and infants with respiratory distress, gastrointestinal disorders, congenital abnormalities, and other conditions that may require surgery.

Our NICUs are staffed with neonatologists, neonatal nurses and nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, and pharmacists who have unique experience caring for critically ill infants. Pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists are readily available for consultation and treatment. These experts use the latest technology and therapies to offer critically ill newborns the best chance for survival and high quality of life.

The Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Infant Cardiac Unit at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital the first of its kind in the nation, is dedicated solely to the cardiac care of infants up to three months old. Staffed by a highly-skilled, multidisciplinary team of neonatal cardiac intensive care specialists, the unit has the most advanced support technology available to care for infants with heart disease. These technologies include specialized ventilation modes for the smallest patients, ECMO/cardiac assist devices such as the Berlin Heart, and 3D printing to help guide the surgery if needed.

The NICU at NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns is the first in New York City equipped with an MRI and an operating room located within the unit.  

Postpartum care

After childbirth, you will have time to recover and bond with your baby in the labor room before being transported to the postpartum unit.

Our postpartum care team is here to empower you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to continue caring for your baby. We will teach you how to hold and bathe your baby and identify their feeding cues.

Whether you want to breastfeed or provide formula, we are here to help. All our nurses are highly trained in providing breastfeeding support, and our lactation consultants are available to assist you if you would like additional guidance. If you choose to formula feed, we will teach you the proper preparation and storage of formula.