Unique Services for New and Expectant Mothers

At NYU Medical Center, services for new and expectant mothers extend beyond the walls of the delivery room. Two programs—both developed within the past two years—address some of the mental and physical issues confronting pregnant women and new mothers.

The Prenatal/Postpartum Physical Therapy Program at the Rusk Institute has been gaining a reputation among patients for its individualized, compassionate care. As a result of physiological and biological changes, pregnancy and delivery can often bring a number of ailments.  Neck, back, joint, and muscle pain affect about 2/3 of pregnant women, interfering with their activities of daily living, while close to 1/5 of pregnant women experience pelvic pain.  Bladder incontinence during and after pregnancy is also commonly reported and can hamper quality of life.  Pregnancy requires additional considerations during exercise. To address these and other conditions, the program at Rusk—part of the Outpatient Physical Therapy Women’s Health Program—offers the following services:

• Manual therapy/massage to relieve spasms or aching muscles
• Individualized exercise programs specifically designed for pregnant or postpartum women
• Instructions on body mechanics and posture to minimize stress on the spine throughout pregnancy and after delivery
• Assessment for prenatal/postpartum products (abdominal supports, pillows, etc.)
• Bladder incontinence management and pelvic floor strengthening exercises
• A core stabilization program designed to support the physical changes involved in pregnancy and to restore laxity in muscles after delivery

All physical therapists that provide these services have specialized training in prenatal/postpartum therapy. The program accepts insurance.  For clinical information, please contact (212) 263-5601.  To register for physical therapy, please fax your doctor’s prescription to the Rusk Business Office at (212) 263-0113.  For your convenience, a pre-made prenatal/postpartum referral form can be found here.  For registration questions, please call (212) 263-6033.

Untreated psychiatric disorders in pregnant and postpartum women have serious implications for the mother, the child, and the family.

Another program at NYU—the NYU Reproductive Psychiatry Program—offers outpatient treatment to women with mood disorders resulting from pregnancy. Depression, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, general anxiety, and eating disorders may develop or worsen during pregnancy. Women with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and women who have been victims of trauma (in various forms) are particularly vulnerable in pregnancy and postpartum. Not infrequently, depressed pregnant and postpartum women may have thoughts about harming the baby or themselves. Postpartum psychosis, which occurs in 1-2 in 1000 women who deliver, is a serious psychiatric disorder that is associated with both suicide and infanticide. Substance abuse is also more prevalent than most people realize.

This NYU program, run by Shari Lusskin, MD, Director of Reproductive Psychiatry, offers consultations for women at risk of, or diagnosed with, various psychiatric and mood disorders. Through a combination of medications, psychotherapy and behavior modification techniques, the program seeks to provide prompt treatment to reduce the risks of obstetrical complications and self-medication with drugs and alcohol during pregnancy as well as the risk of suicide, infanticide, and the development of a chronic and relapsing mental illness in postpartum women.

In addition to serving new and expectant mothers, the NYU Reproductive Psychiatry Program also offers comprehensive mental health services for women with premenstrual mood disorders and depression resulting from perimenopause and menopause. 

For more information about this program, please call (212) 263-7419.