What to expect at the Center for Fetal Care

Find a fetal care specialist

We understand that you may feel anxious as you prepare for your first visit to our Center for Fetal Care. We’re here to support you every step of the way. Starting with your call, we do everything we can to take care of your needs. Our team of experts helps you learn more about your baby’s condition and make informed decisions for your baby’s care during pregnancy and at birth.

Before your visit

Our Center for Fetal Care has locations in Oak Lawn, Illinois and Park Ridge, Illinois. You can come see us by getting a referral from your doctor or calling us yourself. Here’s what to plan for as you prepare for your first consultation:

We work with your primary care provider to gather all your medical records. We review the records to understand your needs and decide which specialists you need to see at your first visit.
We schedule you for an appointment and consultation with our maternal-fetal medicine specialist who is also a fetal surgeon and has years of additional training to offer expertise in high-risk pregnancy care. You also meet with other specialists that day – often several at the same time. Meet our team.
If you’re traveling from outside the Chicagoland area, our social workers can help you arrange accommodations, transportation and other logistics.
Financial counselors at Advocate Children’s Hospital can answer your questions about insurance and help you find resources for financial assistance.
If you have other children, our Child Life specialists can help. We assist you with details for their care and help you talk to them about your developing baby.

Find our locations, maps and directions.

During your first prenatal visit

You can plan to spend a half day with us for your first visit. When you arrive, a member of your fetal care team greets you and checks you in. One of us escorts you to your appointments for tests and meetings with the doctors.

Most likely, you’ll have diagnostic imaging and other testing on the day of your first visit. Find out more about the imaging and tests we use to diagnose fetal conditions.

If your baby seems to have a neurological condition, we’ll perform neurological tests. Some neurological conditions, such as tumors, will show up on imaging tests. Using a combination of testing methods, we’ll provide an accurate diagnosis. Learn what to expect during a neurological evaluation.

Our team meets to review imaging and test results. The team develops a complete view of your health needs and your baby’s, including a working or confirmed diagnosis. You then meet with everyone on your care team – all on the same day, in the same place. In our consultation:

You get answers to your questions from specialists in maternal-fetal medicine, fetal surgery, and fields such as cardiology, genetics and pediatric surgery.
We review the findings with you and help you understand the diagnosis. You receive resources and information about the diagnosis to help you make informed decisions about care.
We talk with you about treatment options for the rest of your pregnancy and start to plan for delivery. We also discuss options for the care that the neonatal specialists will provide for your baby after birth. We work with you to develop a care plan tailored to you and your baby.

Depending on your baby’s needs, you may expect your baby to stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or another newborn care unit at Advocate Children’s Hospital. A member of our team can arrange a virtual tour of the NICU to show you our facilities, including the maternity unit, the NICU and other neonatal care areas.

Care and treatment after your visit

We have real-time communication with your referring physician, often calling them during your visit so that they can participate in decisions for your care. If your baby doesn’t need a procedure or surgery before birth, we can often co-manage your pregnancy care with your doctor. If so, you see your doctor for regular checkups throughout your pregnancy. You may decide to deliver your baby with your doctor, depending on your preferences and the health of you and your baby.

If your baby needs treatment before birth, you see your care team at the Center for Fetal Care for regular checkups throughout your pregnancy. To help you prepare for treatment, we talk with you about:

Details of the treatment, including its risks and benefits
Your recovery, including possible bed rest or activity limitations
Delivery planning
Any potential effects of the treatment on future pregnancies

Learn more about our treatments and services for your developing baby, including fetal surgery.

Delivery and care after your baby's birth

If you’re delivering your baby here, we coordinate with all the specialists on your team to prepare for your baby’s care. Depending on your health and your baby’s, you may deliver vaginally or by cesarean section.

Your baby may need more advanced care after birth in our NICU, cardiac unit or other neonatal care unit. Our nationally recognized, Level III NICUs are located near the maternity units in our Oak Lawn and Park Ridge hospitals.

If your baby is going home with you after birth, we coordinate care with their pediatrician and any needed pediatric specialists. Advocate Children’s Hospital offers specialized neonatal and pediatric care in every field of medicine. Learn more about care and treatment in our specialty clinics and programs.