The Fetal Concerns Program is a cooperative joint effort between the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Birth Center and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. The program provides a full range of care when there is a health concern in your pregnancy. Program services include:
-
-
-
Access to prenatal treatments.
-
Medical care of the infant.
-
Linking families to support services.
-
Specially trained nurse who helps schedule services.
-
Help creating palliative care plans, when appropriate.
Conditions commonly treated through the Fetal Concerns Program include:
The Fetal Concerns Program provides consultation and support throughout the pregnancy, delivery and the baby's first year.
Care for both mothers and babies under one roof
The Froedtert & the Medical College Birth Center is located within Children's Hospital. Both hospitals offer the most advanced care. This means neither the mother nor the baby will need to be sent to another facility, no matter what complications arise. This makes it easier for the mother to breastfeed, bond with the baby and talk with the baby's care providers. It also is easier for family members to visit. Take a virtual tour of the Birth Center.
Specialized nurse coordinator
Within the Fetal Concerns Program, all care is arranged through a nurse clinician. This specially trained nurse schedules all medical care and provides information about ongoing counseling and support, prior to the baby's birth and for up to one year after the baby leaves the hospital. The nurse coordinator becomes a "familiar face" that can help ease stress and save time for the patient family.
Advanced diagnostics
The Froedtert & the Medical College Birth Center and Children's Hospital have some of the most advanced diagnostics tools available to help make a diagnosis, including 3-D and 4-D ultrasounds and genetic screenings and tests.
Genetic counseling
Genetic counselors, who work closely with medical geneticists on staff at the Medical College, are available to help patient families understand genetic disorders, discuss prenatal testing options and determine risks to future pregnancies. Genetic counselors also can help connect patient families to support and educational resources.
State-of-the-art facilities
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital cares for more than 600 neonates each year. Other NICUs throughout the state and northern Illinois refer their sickest newborns to Children's Hospital. The 41-bed, state-of-the-art facility has ample space to give babies the unique support they need to thrive and grow, including special pods for twins and triplets to allow families to stay together.
Lactation services
Lactation consultants help make sure mothers and babies get off to a good start, even if the baby has a condition that makes breastfeeding difficult. Certified lactation consultants are available to talk with parents over the phone, at bedside or during prenatal visits. Lactation rooms, breast pumps and refrigerators for storing breast milk are available in the NICU. Most infants in the NICU receive breast milk as their primary source of nutrition at the time of discharge.
Medical ethics counseling
Sometimes, pregnancies involving maternal or fetal health issues can force families to make difficult moral or ethical decisions. The Fetal Concerns Program offers compassionate, expert counseling to help families navigate their way through this decision-making process.
Palliative care
Even after everything medically possible has been done, difficult decisions sometimes must be made. The Fetal Concerns Program is a world leader in palliative care practices and can help the patient family plan how they want their baby cared for. This plan can be used at any hospital where the child will be born.
Abdominal wall defects.
