With up to eight percent of expecting mothers experiencing complications during pregnancy, Saint Francis Medical Center highly values its partnership with Cape Maternal & Fetal Medicine to provide comprehensive care to parents throughout the region.
What Is a Perinatologist?
A perinatologist – also known as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist – is a doctor who works with expecting mothers and their obstetricians or family practitioners who deliver babies to ensure the healthiest pregnancies possible if they are at higher-than-normal risk.
Who Sees a Perinatologist?
Obstetricians or family practitioners refer patients to a perinatologist if:
- There is need for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures during pregnancy
- Medical or surgical disorders could complicate pregnancy
- Pregnancy is at an increased risk for an adverse outcome
- There is concern of preterm labor, low birth weight, illness or other complications
With a full-time perinatologist, Cape Maternal & Fetal Medicine’s highly trained physician and support staff work closely with expecting parents and their referring obstetricians and family practitioners to co-manage a variety of medical complications that can occur during pregnancy, including:
- Chronic renal disease
- Complicated preeclampsia and eclampsia
- Congenital disorders
- Diabetes
- Endocrine diseases
- Gastrointestinal diseases
- Hematological diseases
- Hypertension and cardiac disease
- Incompetent cervix
- Infectious diseases
- Neurological diseases and seizure disorders
- Preterm labor
- Recurrent pregnancy losses
- Significant second or third trimester bleeding
Cape Maternal & Fetal Medicine diagnoses and treats pregnancy-related complications through state-of-the-art technology, advanced procedures and personalized care, including:
- Preconception genetic counseling for concerns with personal and family health histories
- 4-D ultrasound technology that shows 3-D images of the baby’s movement
- Genetic disorder assessment by evaluating the baby’s heart and blood flow
- Prenatal diagnosis as needed through amniocentesis or other testing
- Careful monitoring and management of multiple gestation pregnancies
- Management of chronic conditions affecting pregnancies, such as diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disorders and seizure
