What Brooklyn Birthing Center does

Brooklyn Birthing Center (BBC) is a privately held, for-profit freestanding birth center founded in 1999 by Dr. Norma Veridiano and headquartered at 6702 3rd Ave in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. It is the longest-operating licensed freestanding birth center in New York City and operates as a midwifery-led practice staffed exclusively by the Brooklyn Midwifery Group, with a board-certified perinatologist (Dr. James Ducey) providing 24/7 consultation and chart review at 36 weeks. BBC serves low-risk pregnant individuals and families seeking unmedicated, low-intervention births in a home-like setting, offering three full-service birthing suites equipped for water birth, nitrous oxide analgesia, intermittent Doppler fetal monitoring, and Golden Hour skin-to-skin protocols, alongside routine prenatal care (including labs and genetic testing), postpartum and lactation support, and an extended gynecological service line covering annual exams, BRCA testing, cervical cancer screening, STI services, family planning, preconception counseling, and menopause management.

The underlying operating platform is clinical rather than technological: patient-facing and clinical workflows run on the AthenaHealth EHR and patient portal, while billing and insurance verification are outsourced to Scribe Align, with no proprietary software, no AI/ML systems, and no app-based products disclosed. Revenue is generated on a per-visit, fee-for-service basis paid primarily by commercial insurers (1199, Aetna, Cigna, Emblem, Empire BCBS, Fidelis, GHI, HIP, United Healthcare) and Medicaid managed care plans (Aetna Better Health, Empire BCBS Healthplus, EmblemHealth, Healthfirst, Metroplus), with self-pay options, gap-exception authorizations, and childbirth education classes priced at $175-$400. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: prospective clients must complete required Zoom orientation sessions, discovery typically begins through organic search and Instagram, and a curated resource directory of doulas, lactation consultants, and childbirth educators drives referral flow and positions BBC as a hub in NYC's perinatal services ecosystem.

The business is small (11-50 employees), independently owned without disclosed PE/VC backing, and has recently extended its footprint by opening a prenatal-only satellite office at 16 E 40th St in Midtown Manhattan (Bryant Park) in 2025, while deepening operational leadership with the April 2025 appointment of Umaimah Mahmud as Senior Midwife and Director of Operations.

Name

Brooklyn Birthing Center

Legal name

Brooklyn Birthing Center

Website

https://brooklynbirthingcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brooklyn Birthing Center is the longest-operating freestanding birth center in New York City, offering midwifery-led prenatal care, unmedicated and water births, and gynecological services to low-risk pregnant individuals and families across Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Midwifery and Birth Center Services

NAICS

Family Planning Centers (621410)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Midwifery & Birth Centers (HLAFAJAC)

Keywords

• Midwifery services
• Prenatal care
• Natural childbirth
• Water birth services
• Gynecological care

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Services - Birth and Midwifery Care: BBC generates revenue through providing childbirth services, prenatal care, and postpartum care. Services are billed primarily through insurance including major commercial plans and Medicaid managed care organizations. Self-pay options with discounts and payment plans are available.
2. Gynecological Services: Annual exams, BRCA testing, cervical cancer screening, STI services, menopause services, and family planning services billed through insurance or self-pay.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brooklyn Birthing Center operates a freestanding midwifery-led birth center providing natural, low-intervention childbirth in a home-like environment with three full-service birthing suites offering water birth and nitrous oxide. It delivers comprehensive prenatal care, postpartum and lactation support, and gynecological services such as annual exams, BRCA and cervical cancer screening, STI services, family planning, and menopause care to low-risk pregnant people and families across Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Product overview

Brooklyn Birthing Center (BBC) operates as a freestanding birth center offering a comprehensive suite of midwifery-led maternal health services. The core offering is natural birth services in a home-like environment, complemented by prenatal care (routine exams, genetic testing, labs), water births, lactation support, and gynecological services (annual exams, STI services, menopause care). Additional offerings include a patient portal powered by AthenaHealth for appointment scheduling and messaging, downloadable client handouts for education, and placenta encapsulation services through recommended partners. The center provides three full-service birthing suites with water birth capabilities, nitrous oxide for pain management, and maintains Golden Hour practices for immediate postpartum bonding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural Birth Services Low-intervention, unmedicated births in a home-like environment at the freestanding birth center, delivered by licensed and board-certified midwives for low-risk pregnant people seeking a natural childbirth experience outside a hospital.
• Water Births Water immersion labor and delivery option available in every birth suite via permanently installed or inflatable birthing tubs, offered to clients who qualify for water birth.
• Routine Prenatal Care Comprehensive prenatal care including all standard laboratory tests, routine examinations, and ongoing monitoring throughout pregnancy, delivered by the midwifery team at Brooklyn and Manhattan locations.
• Genetic Testing Genetic screening options including blood tests and ultrasounds to estimate the likelihood of genetic anomalies, offered to clients as desired during prenatal care.
• Nitrous Oxide Pain Relief Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) provided during labor and procedures such as suturing to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation, with no effect on the baby and no lingering effects for the laboring person.
• Lactation Services Breastfeeding education and support delivered by midwives and IBCLC lactation consultants, covering preparation, establishing milk supply, and ongoing postpartum lactation support.
• Preconception Counseling Counseling services for couples planning pregnancy, addressing health optimization and preparation for conception.
• Family Planning Services Birth control methods and family planning resources, including guidance on methods that are safe during postpartum and breastfeeding.
• Annual Exams Comprehensive yearly gynecological examinations and preventive health screenings delivered by the midwifery team.
• BRCA Testing Genetic testing that assesses an individual's risk for breast, ovarian, and colon cancer.
• Cervical Cancer Screening Preventive cervical cancer screenings including Pap smears and related diagnostic services.
• STI Services Screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections delivered by the midwifery team.
• Menopause Services Screening and management services for menopause symptoms and perimenopause/postmenopause transitions.
• Doula Pairing Support Support services connecting clients with doulas for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum assistance, including free and low-cost doula matching programs.
• Orientation Sessions Required Zoom-based orientation sessions for prospective clients covering the care model at the center, the patient process, and a live Q&A.

Quantifiable outcome

• Skin-to-skin contact (Golden Hour) immediately after birth until first feeding is complete
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Scribe AligncoreOthersScribe Align is BBC's billing service partner that contacts insurance companies, reviews plan benefits, determines out-of-pocket costs, and provides billing information to clients.
• AthenaHealthcoreTechnology or IntegrationAthenaHealth provides the electronic health records and patient portal system that BBC uses for appointment requests, viewing and paying statements, and messaging with the practice.
• Brooklyn Midwifery GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC is staffed exclusively by the Brooklyn Midwifery Group. The practice is led and managed by board-certified licensed midwives who provide all midwifery services at the birth center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kindbody: Multi-site fertility and women's health provider offering reproductive and gynecological services across multiple U.S. markets. Comparable in offering outpatient women's health services to a similar demographic, though primarily focused on fertility rather than full midwifery/birth care.
• Northwell Health: New York State's largest health system, operating multiple hospitals in the NYC metro with midwifery programs (and employing Dr. James Ducey, BBC's consulting OB). Competes for the same regional maternity patient base with broader service breadth and a stronger perceived institutional safety profile.
• NewYork-Presbyterian: One of the largest NYC hospital systems with extensive obstetric and midwifery services across multiple campuses. Comparable in serving NYC pregnant patients seeking varied birth experiences, but offers midwifery as part of a hospital-based portfolio rather than a dedicated freestanding birth center.
• Cleveland Clinic: Large national health system with midwifery-led obstetric programs in multiple markets. Comparable in offering midwifery care as part of broader maternity services, though operating at significantly larger scale across multiple geographies.
• NYU Langone Health: Large NYC academic health system with midwifery services integrated across its obstetric service line. Competes for the same natural-birth-seeking patient demographic in NYC but delivers within a hospital setting with full clinical safety net, contrasting with BBC's freestanding birth center model.
• Mount Sinai Health System: Major NYC academic health system with a well-established midwifery practice (The Mount Sinai Midwifery Practice) offering hospital-based low-intervention births. Comparable because it serves the same NYC pregnant patient population seeking midwifery-led care, but operates within a much broader hospital portfolio rather than as a freestanding specialty facility.

Emerging players

• Tia: Women's health clinic chain offering gynecology, primary care, and some reproductive health services. Comparable in offering outpatient women's health services to a similar demographic, but does not provide maternity/delivery services like BBC.
• Oula: NYC-based midwifery-led maternity care startup combining midwifery practice with hospital delivery at partnered facilities. Directly comparable as a modern, NYC-focused midwifery brand competing for the same natural-birth-seeking demographic, with a tech-enabled patient experience.
• Maven Clinic: Digital women's and family health platform offering virtual maternity, postpartum, and gynecology care. Comparable as a complementary women's health and maternity care provider serving similar patient personas, though operating virtually rather than through a physical birth center.

Others

• Centering Healthcare Institute: National nonprofit promoting the Centering Pregnancy group prenatal care model widely adopted by midwifery practices. Comparable as an enabling/adjacent organization that supports midwifery-led prenatal care delivery models used by BBC and similar practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/brooklynbirthingcenter/?hl=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/BrooklynBirthingCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brooklyn-birthing-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brooklyn Birthing Center