- Jacqueline M. Marecheau, MD FACOG
Chairperson
The Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital provides comprehensive care for women of all ages. Services include:
- Well-woman visits and screenings
- Routine and high-risk obstetrics
- Reproductive endocrinology & infertility services
- Management of abnormal Pap smears
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Gynecological oncology
- Urogynecology
Having Your Baby at St. John’s
St. John’s is committed to providing expectant parents with a safe, high-quality experience for routine and high-risk deliveries in a comfortable setting close to home. Included are prenatal care on the St. John’s campus or at nearby satellite offices, parenting and childbirth classes, modern labor and delivery suites, and newborn and neonatal intensive care nurseries as well as an on-site lactation consultant.
Click here to register for our Prenatal Childbirth Classes. For questions regarding Childbirthing class schedules with our call 516-308-2479 and for tours of our Labor & Delivery, please call 718-869-7276.
Now Offering Doula Services to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
Visit our Doula page to learn everything these is to know about our Doula program and to request more information.
Offering the First Centering Pregnancy Program in the Rockaways
Centering Pregnancy is a group-based approach to prenatal care that combines standard prenatal care with pregnancy and childbirth education. Women that participate in this kind of care attend regular, provider-led group meetings that are designed to address all aspects of wellness during pregnancy. Centering Pregnancy groups cover a variety of topics and research shows that this card model has a number of benefits that lead to better health outcomes for mother and baby. To learn more about the program and how you can participate, click to download our flyer for more information.
Managing High-Risk Deliveries
The physicians at St. John’s have expertise in managing high-risk pregnancies. In addition, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist is available to consult with women who are identified as high-risk, including those who are hypertensive or at risk for preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. Genetic counseling, reproductive endocrinology, infertility management, and advanced ultrasounds are performed at the hospital.
Labor & Delivery & Post-Partum Care
All of the obstetricians at St. John’s are board-certified, and the care they provide is complemented by a certified nurse-midwife. Numerous birthing options are available in the hospital’s six modern labor and delivery suites, including epidural anesthesia and natural childbirth. Birthing rooms include state-of-the-art electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), and the hospital requires that all labor and delivery staff maintain advanced certification in fetal heart rate monitoring and obstetrical management.
The hospital’s post-partum rooms are private (single occupancy) and designed to promote bonding with the newborn. New mothers can choose to have their baby “room in” and each room has a sleeping chair for partners who wish to spend the night. Every room also comes with a private bathroom and shower. The Level II (special care) nursery, located on the same floor, accommodates up to 25 newborns and is staffed by registered nurses who are specially trained in newborn care.
St. John’s encourages breastfeeding, and a certified lactation consultant is available to educate, support and reassure new mothers. Breast pumps are available.
Baby Friendly
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital actively supports immediate, uninterrupted mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding to promote the best health outcomes for newborns. As a Baby-Friendly designated hospital, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital follows the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which follows the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) guidelines set by the World Health Organization and UNICEF to promote breastfeeding and optimal maternal-infant care.
What is Baby-Friendly care and why is it important?
Baby-Friendly Care is a model of maternal and newborn health care that prioritizes breastfeeding support, mother-baby bonding and evidence-based practices to ensure the healthiest start for infants. It promotes and supports breastfeeding as the optimal way to nourish newborns. Based on research, baby-friendly care differs from typical hospital procedures and includes:
- Immediate skin-skin contact between mother and baby after birth and throughout the hospital stay
- Early initiation of breastfeeding, ideally within the first hour
- Rooming-in, where mothers and babies stay together 24/7
- Exclusive breastfeeding unless medically necessary to supplement
- Lactation support from trained healthcare providers
- Parental education on breastfeeding techniques and infant care
How does skin-to-skin contact affect newborns?
Research demonstrates the powerful benefits of skin-to-skin contact for newborns. Babies held skin-to-skin enjoy stable vital signs (breathing, heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and blood glucose levels). Babies cry less, sleep and feed better, and absorb the nutrients in and digest their food better. Mothers also benefit, helping women with pain management and milk production. Partners can enjoy skin-to-skin as a special way to bond with the baby, too.
We also promote and support exclusive breastfeeding, including offering breastfeeding classes and postpartum support groups. Board-certified lactation consultants are on our team, and all our perinatal nurses and clinicians have had additional breastfeeding training. We stress the importance of breast milk and its nutritional value to babies. The nursing staff is committed to exclusive breastfeeding for all our patients and is dedicated to helping new moms be successful with breastfeeding and promoting lifelong health from the very first moments of a newborn’s life.
Gynecology Services
Gynecological care at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital encompasses preventive care and screening exams and endoscopic and minimally invasive surgeries. Specialty services include reproductive endocrinology, menopause management, urogynecology, management of abnormal pap smears and care of gynecologic cancers.
The hospital’s board-certified gynecological surgeons perform a full range of inpatient and ambulatory procedures including:
- Hysteroscopy
- Endoscopic, laparoscopic and vaginal hysterectomy
- Laparoscopy
- Minimally invasive treatments for uterine fibroid tumors and benign polyps
- Endometriosis treatment
- Endometrial ablation for abnormal uterine bleeding
Contact Us
For more information on Obstetrics/Gynecology at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, call 718-869-7382.
To find an Obstetrician or Gynecologist at St. John’s, use our doctor finder and choose Obstetrics/Gynecology in the specialty tab. To schedule an appointment at the hospital’s Ob/Gyn clinic, please call 718-869-7690.
Residency Program
The Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology is also has a 4-year Osteopathic Residency Program, which offers 12 positions. For more information, please call 718-869-7107.