

Tanya Tringali
Education and Experience — Tanya is a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). She graduated from New York University School of Nursing in 2003, then from The Midwifery Institute of Philadelphia University in 2007. Tanya has worked as a doula, and as a labor and delivery nurse at NYU Medical Center and at White Plains Hospital. She has also worked as midwife at Hudson Center for Women’s Health in Nyack, NY where she attended nearly 300 births and provided prenatal care for more than 1,200 women through the Rockland County Prenatal Clinic and the Ezra Choilim Health Center in Monroe.
Tanya is thrilled to have returned to Full Circle Family Care, as she studied with Kathy Herron and Robin Bradley while completing her degree in midwifery. Tanya is also on faculty at Philadelphia University, giving future midwives all the support and education that aided her own professional journey.
Areas of Interest — Tanya’s first love was theatre and dance. The human body and the way it moves in space endlessly fascinate her. Being with women during pregnancy, labor, and birth allow her to take this exploration to new heights. She believes that in a safe and supportive environment, women will instinctively move their bodies in ways that permit the baby to descend through the pelvis, ease the discomforts of labor, and ultimately lead to a safe and satisfying birth experience. Tanya enjoys encouraging women to find this safe space in labor.
My Path to Midwifery — I have always had an enduring love for the human body — the way it moves and creates shapes, the way each is unique in form and spirit. After experiencing pregnancy and the birth of my own daughter I found it difficult to think of anything but pregnancy and birth. The changes occurring inside my own body gave me insight into the seemingly limitless possibilities of the human physique, especially that of the female form.
Approximately 90 percent of American women choose to birth under the care of an obstetrician. I was no different. However, as I began prenatal care with my doctor I also enrolled in prenatal yoga classes to complement ‘traditional’ prenatal care. In yoga class I met women who were planning to have their babies with midwives — a surprise to me since at this point I didn’t even know that midwives existed in modern society. After relaxing sessions of downward facing dog and child’s poses, I listened to these wise women share their birth plans. I began reading the books they recommended, but as fascinated as I was I still felt reluctant to leave my current provider. I had no reason to think that I wasn’t receiving the best possible care...until the topic of Down’s syndrome came up. My physician heard that I had a family history of Down’s syndrome, told me that he would test my baby at my next prenatal visit, and left the room without answering any of my questions. Stung and dissatisfied, I headed off to the bookstore once again to find my own answers.
I discovered that there were two tests for Down’s syndrome available at the time. One test would pose no risk to my health or the health of my baby (though it did carry a high risk of false positive results), and the other, though definitive, could increase my chance of miscarriage. Why hadn’t my doctor taken a few extra minutes to explain this to me so that I could have time to decide which test, if any, was right for my family? From my research I understood that it was standard practice for midwives to provide patient and loving care, answering all questions expecting mothers may have. The next day I transferred to the Elizabeth Seton Childbearing Center, a freestanding birthing center then available in Manhattan.
Less than two months after the amazing and empowering birth of my daughter, I began my work as a doula. I soon enrolled in nursing school, and then found my way to midwifery school. I trained under the loving guidance of Kathy Herron and Robin Bradley at Full Circle Women’s Health and grew into the midwife I always wanted to be. Robin and Kathy taught me that birth can be empowering and life-altering in any setting. While hospital settings tend to be disempowering for women, Phelps Memorial Hospital offers an empowering, supportive experience for women. Birth is seen as a normal event, women are treated with respect and patience, and laboring mothers are allowed to birth their babies in the way that is right for them. The entire staff works to support the needs of mother, baby, and family.
I am truly proud to be a part of this wonderful and skilled team of health care providers. I hope you will come experience all that this center has to offer. Feel free to call us or email me at [email protected]
My Hope for Clients — It is commonly known that midwives strive to empower women by supporting them throughout pregnancy and birth but it is less commonly known that Certified Nurse-Midwives help all women to achieve their health and personal goals. Tanya believes that each and every woman should leave Full Circle Women’s Health with the feeling that she has been given the necessary tools to achieve whatever it is that brought her to us in the first place. Every woman, whether she desires pregnancy or hopes to avoid it, whether she hopes to improve her overall physical health or her mental health, should feel supported through her own unique process.