Photos and Video at NewYork-Presbyterian: The Actual Policy
NewYork-Presbyterian allows still photography during delivery — including in the C-section OR at the obstetrician's discretion — but videotaping is not permitted in the delivery room or the OR. Once you move to your postpartum room, both photos and video are allowed.
That is the whole policy in two sentences, and it makes NYP the clearest hospital in New York City on this question. Most NYC hospitals publish nothing about cameras at all, which leaves families negotiating with a charge nurse while contractions are three minutes apart. NYP writes it down.
What NYP actually publishes
Still photography is allowed during delivery. Not "ask on the day" — allowed, in writing.
Still photography is allowed in the C-section OR at the obstetrician's discretion. Your OB is the decision-maker, so raise it at a prenatal visit, not in pre-op.
Videotaping is banned in the delivery room and the OR. No exceptions in the published guide.
Photos and video are both allowed in your postpartum room, and photographing staff requires their permission.
Where cameras are allowed at NYP
Labor & delivery room. Stills: yes — video: no.
C-section OR. Stills: yes, at your OB's discretion — video: no.
Postpartum room. Stills: yes — video: yes.
Staff in frame. Only with their permission.
Stills in the OR, and why it matters
Plenty of families assume a C-section means no birth photos. At NYP, stills are possible — the obstetrician decides. Raise it around 34–36 weeks so the answer is on record before anyone is in scrubs. If a scheduled cesarean is on your calendar, this policy alone is a reason to shortlist NYP.
The video rule — and how we still deliver a birth film
Video is banned in NYP's delivery room and OR, and we never bend a hospital's rules. But families book us for birth videography anyway — because a birth film is bigger than the delivery room. We film everything around it: early labor at home, the drive in, the hallway, your partner's hands, the clock on the wall. Inside the delivery room the film pauses and the silent still camera takes over. The moment you're wheeled to your postpartum room, video is fully allowed again — the first bath, the first visit, your voice saying her name for the first time. Cut together, it is a complete birth film that honors both your story and the hospital's rules.
The one-adult wrinkle: NYP's FAQ vs. the state floor
NYP's own L&D FAQ still says one adult at the bedside, including a doula. But NYSDOH letter DAL 23-11 (December 18, 2023) directs hospitals to allow up to two support persons — including a doula if requested — through labor, delivery, and postpartum. The NYC DOH Hospital Doula-Friendliness Guidebook says doulas should not count toward visitor limits at all. Practically: confirm with your campus before your due date, and name DAL 23-11 if you get a one-person answer.
This is also why families hire us as a combo: one DONA-certified person is both doula and birth photographer — one hospital badge. If your campus holds a hard line on head count, you still get continuous support and your photographs without using two slots.
How we photograph a NYP birth
On call from 36 weeks; birth line answered 24/7. Silent shutter, no flash, clear of the sterile field, and we ask each nurse and doctor before they appear in a frame — per NYP's own policy.
FAQ
Can I take photos during a C-section at NYP? Yes — at the obstetrician's discretion. Ask at a prenatal visit and confirm in pre-op.
Can we film the birth at NYP? Not inside the delivery room or OR. But a full birth film is still possible: video before, stills during, video again from the moment you reach your postpartum room. Ask us how it cuts together.
Can my doula and photographer both come? State floor is two support persons incl. a doula (DAL 23-11); NYP's FAQ says one adult — confirm with your campus, or hire one person who is both.
Olga Z., DONA-certified birth doula & birth photographer, 300+ NYC births
