Caring for Complex Fetal and Pregnancy Conditions

When expectant parents learn that their unborn baby has been diagnosed with a high-risk condition, they need guidance and support. The Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health—one of a few in the country—offers complex obstetric, delivery, newborn, and pediatric services all in one place for a wide range of conditions. Our highly specialized team is renowned for its expertise in treating very complex fetal and pregnancy conditions.

Q: How often do patients in Stanford Children’s Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program require complex, multidisciplinary care?

A: In our Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program, we care for more than 180 pregnancies at any one time for fetal anomalies—unexpected complications while a baby is developing during pregnancy—or serious maternal conditions. While most, if not all, of our patients require multidisciplinary care, only the most complex anomalies require multidisciplinary delivery planning and assessment for possible in-utero intervention.

Q: Who is involved in the program’s fetal to neonatal care, and maternal planning?

A: Our highly collaborative care team combines the expertise of more than two dozen medical and surgical subspecialists, working alongside care coordinators, social workers, nurse specialists, and many other committed providers. For each patient and family, we create an individualized team of medical and surgical experts to address their distinct conditions, while also centering our care around each family’s unique goals and needs. Throughout the care process we collaborate together, communicate with the patient and family, and address the needs of mother and baby before and after delivery. Our multidisciplinary planning involves considering who is required to be present at delivery to optimize that transition, and who will be involved in the care of the child both in the immediate period after birth, and sometimes for years to come.

Q: What are some examples of complex cases that require extra multidisciplinary planning and what elements do these care plans often include?

A: At Stanford Children’s, we are very fortunate to have experienced and dedicated care teams across many disciplines. This allows us to care for the most complex cardiac, nervous system, and multi-organ system anomalies, such as bilateral renal agenesis, when a fetus doesn’t develop kidneys, and fetal brain abnormalities. We are also experienced in managing pregnancies that are complicated by both a structural and a genetic anomaly (physical or functional difference). And maybe most importantly, we are able to care for pregnancies in which both a complex fetal anomaly and a complex maternal condition co-exist. We are truly unique in that ability, and our adult specialties provide the safest possible options to all of our expectant mothers, oftentimes even while they are still within our maternal and children’s hospital.

Q: What sets Stanford Children’s apart from other pediatric hospitals for complex fetal and pregnancy conditions?

A: The physical link between the adult and children’s hospitals allows us to care for the most complex maternal and fetal conditions. Our dedication to providing comprehensive, seamless care ensures that we integrate all required adult, pediatric, medical, and surgical subspecialties to support our patients’ care. At Stanford Children’s our continuum-of-care approach enables us to build trusted, long-term relationships with families, beginning during pregnancy and continuing throughout childhood. Finally, we are able to provide care to families with limited resources in a way other institutions are not. We have robust resources that can assist families, especially those travelling from distant locations, for both their prenatal and neonatal care.

Q: What elements are in place at Stanford Children’s to provide this level of care, and why are you the right place to care for these children and expectant moms?

A: We are truly unique in terms of our infrastructure, the breadth and depth of our expertise, and the resources that we can provide families across the maternal-fetal-neonatal-pediatric continuum. That said, it’s really the dedication of our entire team, from our coordinators, nurse specialists, social workers, support staff and medical and surgical teams, that provide a personal and individualized experience for our families.

Learn more about our Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program >