Q: How does a maternal fetal medicine specialist help an OB/GYN and mother-to-be?
A maternal fetal medicine physician, also known as perinatologist, is an obstetrician gynecologist who gets further training in the care of women with high-risk pregnancies and diagnosing and managing fetal related issues. Utilizing the specialized training they help mothers-to-be by consulting and following high-risk pregnancies.
Specifically, the mother may have a medical problem such as diabetes where careful management such as controlling her blood pressures can lead to a significant improvement in the outcome for the mother and her child. In other cases, the unborn child may have a genetic or structural problem, such as congenital heart disease where the MFM can help make critical decisions on how to carefully monitor the baby in utero and help pick the optimal time and place of delivery.
Utilizing their extensive knowledge of high-risk pregnancies, a MFM can also be an excellent source of counseling to help expectant parents understand high-risk issues and the plan of care which is being developed to give them the healthiest outcome for mother and baby at delivery. The MFM is an integral part of supporting women who in increasingly frequent numbers face the risk of problem pregnancies.
Pregnancy is a transformative journey and Hoag has the resources to help you with all of your needs along the way.
To learn more about Hoag’s maternal fetal medicine program and maternity services, please visit www.hoag.org/pregnancy