Finding Care in New York
Where to Give Birth in Manhattan: Hospitals with Labor and Delivery Compared
Eleven Manhattan hospitals reported births to the New York State Department of Health for 2023. The biggest were NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, The Mount Sinai Hospital, NYU Langone and Mount Sinai West, and several, including Bellevue, are Regional Perinatal Centers for the most complex pregnancies. Because you'll usually deliver where your OB/GYN or midwife has privileges, you're really choosing a hospital and a provider together.
A lot of people do this backward: they fall in love with an OB near the office, then realize at 20 weeks that the hospital is a 40-minute cab ride from home at 2 a.m. Start with the hospital list below and work out from there.
Manhattan hospitals with labor and delivery (2023 data)
| Hospital | Area | Births | Cesarean rate | VBAC rate* | Midwife-attended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell | Upper East Side | 7,739 | 35% | 13% | under 1% |
| The Mount Sinai Hospital | East Harlem / Upper East Side | 6,374 | 29% | 32% | 1% |
| NYU Langone Hospitals | Kips Bay / Murray Hill | 5,249 | 32% | 31% | under 1% |
| Mount Sinai West | Hell's Kitchen / Columbus Circle | 5,011 | 34% | 20% | 10% |
| NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia | Washington Heights | 4,095 | 45% | 13% | 0% |
| Lenox Hill Hospital | Upper East Side | 3,765 | 34% | 9% | 1% |
| NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital | Inwood | 2,075 | 39% | 11% | 1% |
| NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan | Financial District | 1,827 | 30% | 19% | 0% |
| Bellevue (NYC H+H) | Kips Bay | 1,533 | 30% | 27% | 11% |
| Metropolitan (NYC H+H) | East Harlem | 979 | 29% | 17% | 35% |
| Harlem Hospital (NYC H+H) | Central Harlem | 704 | 39% | 11% | 4% |
*VBAC rate = share of people with a prior cesarean who had a vaginal birth. Source: NYS DOH Hospital Maternity Information, 2023. Statewide, the cesarean rate was about 35% and the VBAC rate about 14%.
Services and hours change, so call the hospital's labor and delivery unit to confirm before you plan.
How to read these numbers without overreading them
Patient mix matters. Columbia and Weill Cornell, for example, are major referral centers that take many high-risk patients, which tends to push cesarean rates up. A higher number doesn't automatically mean a hospital is quicker to operate on someone like you. Compare hospitals with similar roles, and ask for the primary (first-time) cesarean rate, which is more useful for a first baby.
VBAC. If you've had a cesarean and want to try labor next time, a hospital's VBAC rate and policies matter a lot. ACOG supports offering a trial of labor after cesarean to most people with one prior low-transverse cesarean. If that's you, ask early: "Do you support TOLAC, and who's in-house overnight if I need a repeat cesarean?" More in our VBAC guide.
Midwives. Metropolitan, Bellevue and Mount Sinai West reported the highest midwife-attended shares. Midwives at other hospitals may work alongside OB/GYNs without being the attending of record, so a low number doesn't always mean there are no midwives.
New York's Maternity Information Law requires hospitals to give prospective maternity patients a leaflet with statistics like these. Ask for it on your tour; most people don't know it exists.
Regional Perinatal Centers in Manhattan
Manhattan has several of the state's highest-level perinatal hospitals. The NYS Department of Health's RPC program lists Bellevue, The Mount Sinai Hospital and NYU Langone Hospitals, and NewYork-Presbyterian states its Columbia and Weill Cornell campuses are designated RPCs. These are where the most complex pregnancies and sickest newborns are cared for. If you're referred to maternal-fetal medicine, ask where your specialist recommends delivering. Our guide to delivering at a Regional Perinatal Center explains what that designation means.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
- Upper East Side: Weill Cornell, Lenox Hill and Mount Sinai are all on the East Side, so OB/GYN offices are everywhere. See providers on the Upper East Side.
- Upper West Side and Midtown West: Mount Sinai West is the closest large unit.
- Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn commuters: NYP/Lower Manhattan, NYU Langone and Bellevue.
- Washington Heights and Inwood: NYP/Columbia and the Allen Hospital.
- Harlem and East Harlem: Harlem Hospital, Metropolitan and Mount Sinai.
Getting there in labor. Most people don't take the subway in active labor (though everyone has heard a story). Plan a car service or taxi, know which hospital entrance leads to labor and delivery at night, and save the labor triage number in your phone. If you live in another borough, do a test run at the hour you'd most likely be going.
Questions to ask on a tour
- Are obstetricians, anesthesiologists and neonatologists in-house 24/7?
- What level is the NICU?
- Do you support TOLAC/VBAC?
- What are your policies on support people, doulas, eating and moving around in labor?
- Are there private postpartum rooms? Guaranteed or first-come? What's the nightly fee, and can a partner stay over?
- What lactation and postpartum follow-up do you offer?
Many Manhattan hospitals charge extra for a private postpartum room, and insurance usually doesn't cover it. It's fine to ask the price before you're in a wheelchair being rolled upstairs.
Insurance and surprise bills
Confirm with your insurer that the hospital, your provider and the anesthesiology and neonatology groups are in network. Federal and New York surprise-billing protections apply in many in-network hospital situations, but checking ahead saves stress later. Our guide on how to check if an OB/GYN is in-network walks through the calls to make.
When to call your provider
Call your provider or labor triage for regular contractions, leaking fluid, bleeding or fewer baby movements.
Go to the nearest emergency department for heavy bleeding, a seizure, chest pain, trouble breathing, or a severe headache with vision changes. Don't cross town in an emergency. The closest hospital can stabilize you and transfer you if needed.
Frequently asked questions
How many Manhattan hospitals deliver babies?
Eleven Manhattan hospitals reported births to the NYS Department of Health for 2023, from about 700 at Harlem Hospital to about 7,700 at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. Confirm current services with the hospital before planning.
Which Manhattan hospitals are Regional Perinatal Centers?
NYS DOH's Regional Perinatal Center program lists Bellevue, The Mount Sinai Hospital and NYU Langone Hospitals, and NewYork-Presbyterian says its Columbia and Weill Cornell campuses are designated RPCs.
Which Manhattan hospitals have the highest VBAC rates?
In 2023 NYS DOH data, the share of people with a prior cesarean who had a vaginal birth was about 32% at Mount Sinai Hospital, 31% at NYU Langone and 27% at Bellevue, compared with about 14% statewide.
Can I give birth with a midwife in a Manhattan hospital?
Yes. Licensed midwives attended about 35% of births at Metropolitan Hospital, 11% at Bellevue and 10% at Mount Sinai West in 2023, and many other hospitals have midwives on staff. Ask the practice or hospital about its midwifery service.
Do I need to live in Manhattan to give birth there?
No. Many people from other boroughs, New Jersey and Long Island deliver in Manhattan. What matters is that your provider has privileges there, your insurance covers it, and you can get there quickly in labor.
Sources
- NY State Department of Health — Hospital Maternity Information, 2023 (health.data.ny.gov)
- NY State Department of Health — Regional Perinatal Centers contract list (CRER 20513)
- NewYork-Presbyterian — Regional Perinatal Center
- New York Public Health Law — Maternity Information Law
- ACOG — Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery (Practice Bulletin 205)
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. It does not replace an evaluation by a licensed clinician who knows your history. If you think you have a medical emergency, call 911.