What to Expect as a Center for Fetal and Maternal Health Patient

The Center for Fetal and Maternal Health provides you and your baby with the best care possible while helping you through an anxious time. Here’s what you can expect as a patient:
 

Meeting the Team

Once tests have been done to clarify your baby’s diagnosis, you will meet with members of our Center for Fetal and Maternal Health team. They will review and explain all findings, discuss treatment options, and answer your questions. We believe this will help your family:

• Make the best decisions possible for your baby
• Prepare for what needs to happen during the rest of your pregnancy, your baby’s delivery, and beyond
• Become an active participant in your child’s health care team. Packard Children’s Hospital believes in family-centered care - when families work in partnership with their health care team, the child receives better care.

Single Point of Contact

The Center for Fetal and Maternal Health provides you with a single point of entry, coordination and communication. We are here to provide you with the information, support and resources you need. You can contact us at (650) 724-2221, Monday-Friday, 7:30 am-4:30 pm. You will speak with Meg Homeyer, our Patient Care Coordinator, or Stephanie Neves, our Administrative Coordinator.
 

Making Appointments and Scheduling Tests

The Center for Fetal and Maternal Health Coordinators will work with you to arrange all of your Packard Children’s Hospital tests and appointments. We will make every effort to:

• Make the schedule as convenient as possible for you and your family
• Minimize the number of times you have to come to the hospital

We will help arrange accommodations for your stay if you are traveling from a distance.
 

Working with Your Obstetrician

The Center for Fetal and Maternal Health team will communicate with your obstetrician about the care you and your baby receive at Packard Children’s Hospital. We will:

• Share information about scheduled appointments
• Provide input and recommendations
• Work with your obstetrician to co-manage your pregnancy and fetal health care

Comprehensive Care for You, Your Baby and Your Family

The Center for Fetal and Maternal Health will put together a team of medical and surgical subspecialists that’s personalized for you and your baby. During your appointments, the team members will review findings, talk to you about treatment options, and answer your questions.
 
Regular discussion and review of your care by a team of experts. The Center for Fetal and Maternal Health team holds regular fetal case conferences where medical and surgical subspecialists come together to: 

• Review your diagnostic test findings
• Discuss your individual needs 
• Discuss the most recent research and outcomes in the medical literature for similar cases
• Develop the best care plan for you and your baby

A Center for Fetal and Maternal Health case conference

Support during and after pregnancy. We understand this is probably one of the most challenging times for you and your family. Our Medical Social Workers are available to help you before and after your baby arrives. They can:

• Help you with arrangements and accommodations
• Provide support for you and your family
• Help put you in contact with Parent Mentors – parents whose children have similar conditions

Staying close to home. If the necessary resources exist, we can help to arrange your prenatal care and/or delivery close to your home. Packard Children's Hospital has a network of Perinatal Diagnostic Centers throughout the greater Bay Area. These satellites allow you to stay close to your family and still undergo ongoing advanced imaging, evaluation from our Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists, and genetic counseling.
 

Coordinated Delivery and Treatment for Your Baby

If your baby will be delivered at Packard Children’s Hospital, we will help you and your family prepare for your baby’s arrival. You will:

• Have at least one appointment with a maternal-fetal medicine (high-risk obstetrics) physician to plan timing and mode of delivery
• Meet with one of our neonatologists to review all findings and what they mean for your baby
• Discuss with our team what your baby will need in the delivery room and after birth, and who will provide that care
• Meet the medical and surgical subspecialists who will care for your baby
• Tour Labor and Delivery and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) 

A neonatology team will be in the delivery room to assure that the best care is given to your baby from the first moments. The necessary specialists will be in the delivery room and/or ready in another area to perform surgery or other procedures. All team members will have previously reviewed your baby’s information and created a plan to take care of your baby. Since all of the necessary personnel will be ready at delivery, no time is wasted once your child is born.
 
Babies who go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) receive nationally recognized, expert neonatal care. Our NICU team has a wealth of experience caring for very small and/or critically ill newborns. This includes surgical patients or those who are on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Children with heart conditions may go to the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) after surgery.
 

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