Before Joy Sheetz gave birth to her first child, she envisioned how she wanted this life-changing experience to go. “My goal was to have the most natural birth possible,” says Sheetz, 29, a media relations executive from Brooklyn. “I didn’t intend to use an epidural. I preferred to move freely during labor so I could be as comfortable as possible, with only intermittent monitoring of the baby’s heart rate, and I didn’t want to be attached to an IV.”

Sheetz knew Mother Nature could be unpredictable. Still, with the encouragement of Aisha L. Olivacce, CNM, a midwife with NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital, “I had exactly the birth I intended,” Sheetz says.

Sheetz labored at home for 30 hours before arriving at the hospital with her husband and her mom. For the next five hours, Olivacce coached Sheetz through the final stages of labor, suggesting breathing techniques and movement to manage labor pain, and advocated on Sheetz’s behalf for only intermittent fetal monitoring, as specified in the birth plan.

On April 8, at 1:07 PM, Sheetz gave birth to a baby boy, Hugo, who weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces. “Labor was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but Aisha was so encouraging. I don’t think I could have had the hospital birth experience I wanted had it not been for her,” Sheetz says.

Midwife or Obstetrician? The Choice Is Yours.

At Tisch Hospital and NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, people like Sheetz, with a low-risk pregnancy, have the option of an obstetrician or midwife as their prenatal and labor provider. “Our midwifery program gives patients the choice,” says Eugenia Montesinos, CNM, the director of midwifery services at Tisch Hospital.

NYU Langone midwives are licensed healthcare providers who are educated in accredited graduate-level midwifery programs and who pass a national certification exam. They specialize in healthy, low-risk pregnancies and care for people with a holistic approach. “We assess our patients’ mental, physical, and emotional health and educate them from the perspective that pregnancy and labor are something your body is made to do,” Montesinos says.

NYU Langone midwives work in tandem with NYU Langone obstetricians and the hospital’s maternal–fetal medicine team to ensure the best possible outcome. If labor should take a turn, such as the sudden development of preeclampsia, which is pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, the obstetrician and maternal–fetal medicine team are there to provide a higher level of medical intervention.

Who Uses Midwifery Care?

Pregnant women are eligible for midwifery care if they are low risk, meaning they do not have a condition requiring medical care, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or severe obesity.

For patients with risk factors, midwives can co-manage their care in partnership with NYU Langone’s physician team, including general obstetricians and maternal–fetal medicine doctors. “We create a plan to cater to the person’s specific needs,” says Olivacce.

What Services Can a Midwife Provide?

NYU Langone midwives provide hospital-based labor support and birth for low-risk pregnant patients. In addition, they provide routine obstetric care throughout pregnancy. This includes bedside ultrasounds and postpartum care. Midwives also provide gynecologic care through all phases of life, from adolescence to postreproductive years. Our midwives can see you for general checkups and reproductive health visits. They can write prescriptions and provide contraception, including implant and intrauterine device placement.

Midwives don’t perform vacuum extraction or forceps deliveries if labor is not progressing. They cannot perform cesarean births, either, but they are trained to serve as the “surgical first assistant” to the obstetrician during surgery.

Your Labor, Your Way

“As midwives, we are trained to honor the physiologic birth process, which is considered ‘natural’ or ‘holistic,’ in collaboration with modern obstetrical management and, depending on someone’s preference, that can be a birth that’s unmedicated,” says Siobhan Whalen, CNM, a midwife with NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.

When working with a midwife, however, you can still choose to be induced or receive an epidural or other pain relief medication during labor. “We are there to help you receive the tools you need to have a safe and satisfying birth,” Whalen says.

For pregnancy and labor that progresses without complications, patients can expect a level of care from a midwife that feels very individualized.

“I see myself not only as a healthcare provider, but also as a compassionate guide and advocate,” Montesinos says. “My mission as a midwife is to offer holistic, evidence-based care, nurturing women through one of life’s most significant experiences. I strive to empower women, ensuring they feel supported, informed, and cherished every step of the way.”

Learn more about our midwifery services or make an appointment with one of our midwives.