By Daniel Keren
Dr. Jessica Jacob
Dr. Jessica Jacob, an obstetrician who graduated New York University in 1983 and has been operating a solo practice since 1987 was recently interviewed about her unique devotion to delivering babies by Charlene Aminoff, hostess of Not Your Typical Podcast from the Living L’Chaim network. Mrs. Aminoff’s enthusiasm was fueled in part by the fact that Dr. Jacob has delivered all of her children and as one of the few Orthodox Jewish women delivering babies, brings a unique spiritual perspective to her job or mission in life.
In addition to delivering babies for thousands of women, Dr. Jacob herself gave birth of seven children and is today the grandmother of more than 25 children. Today she is affiliated with the North Shore University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in Manhasset, Long Island.
In the interview, Mrs. Aminoff asked Dr. Jacob about her strong desire to help women get natural vaginal deliveries of their babies as opposed to having C-Section births. Dr. Jacob emphasized how important it is for a woman to have nature vaginal births for their children as it makes future deliveries safer and less painful. And her commitment is despite the fact that insurance companies pay doctors significantly more for C-Section deliveries than they do for more natural and healthier vaginal deliveries.
One of the pointers that Dr. Jacob mentioned in her interview with Mrs. Aminoff was that she warns her patients to seriously understand just how important it is to control their weight as being that this is a very important role in ensuring a healthy delivery.
Dr. Jacob also told listeners of the Not Your Typical Podcast is if a woman is going to give birth, she should make sure that the obstetrician she is thinking of using has good reviews. One should not just use an obstetrician because he or she is the only one that accepts your insurance. It is better to pay without insurance and have a good doctor to deliver one’s baby. Dr. Jacob says that when she has such a patient, she charges significantly below the fee that she would have gotten from the insurance company.
Mrs. Aminoff asked Dr. Jacob what she is really concerned about and she mentioned that she is fiercely opposed to the current trend of some women wanting to have “more natural” births by having their babies delivered at homes by special doctors. Dr. Jacob explained that there are many potential dangers that can occur and if one is in a hospital, these can be more easily alleviated and she hopes that rabbis will come out and strongly prohibit the planned giving birth at home.
Her dedication to delivering babies comes with a price. Dr. Jacob says that she isn’t able to go on vacations. Indeed, she has gone on three 12-hour trips to Israel, without ever having to stay overnight in a hotel. Two of those trips were for chasanas and the third trip was to make a shiva call. Indeed, she has even rushed to the hospital from the wedding of one of her childrem while dressed in her clothes and fancy wig in order to help one of her patients give birth.
When asked by Mrs. Aminoff as to Dr. Jacob’s definition of success, she said that it is a life that gives her happiness, satisfaction and a sense of having done something important. And what can be more important than bringing new Jewish neshamos into this world?
Dr. Jacob has had the delightful privilege of delivering the children of babies that she had delivered a generation before. One poignant moment was when she delivered a baby from a couple – the father and the mother – whom she had delivered on separate occasions.
To view or listen to this 57-minute podcast you can google She Delivered 18,000 Babies But Few Know the Full Story
Reprinted from the May 9, 2025 edition of The Jewish Connection.
