High-risk pregnancy

For women with special health concerns during pregnancy, the experts at Aurora BayCare Medical Center offer specialized care. Our team of maternal-fetal medicine specialists provides the careful monitoring you and your baby need throughout a high-risk pregnancy.

Maternal-fetal medicine: Why choose Aurora BayCare Medical Center?

Our maternal-fetal medicine program for high-risk pregnancies offers:

• Expert team: Our team includes board-certified OB-GYNs with specialized training in neonatology and perinatology (maternal-fetal medicine). These doctors are dedicated to the unique needs of mothers and babies with medical problems during pregnancy and just after birth.
• Around-the-clock monitoring: We have an OB-GYN, neonatologist, anesthesiologist and newborn care nurses available 24/7. This continuous care means that we’re ready to handle any emergency situation that arises with you or your baby. Learn more about our laborist program.
• Extensive training: At Aurora BayCare, we do ongoing obstetrics simulations. Our team receives hands-on training with equipment that mimics real-life scenarios. This training helps us assess and treat critical conditions quickly and effectively.
• Critical care: A Level III NICU provides special care for babies with complex medical needs. Doctors, neonatal nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists and newborn developmental therapists work together to help your new arrival grow and thrive.

Our services for high-risk pregnancies

Aurora BayCare’s expert team and leading-edge diagnostic technology help us care for women and babies with special health needs. Our services include:

• Genetic counseling and testing: Women with a family history of genetic disorders may need genetic counseling before pregnancy or prenatal genetic testing during pregnancy. We assess your baby’s risk for inheriting conditions like sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis or Tay-Sachs disease. We may do chorionic villus sampling (CVS), which tests a small sample of the placenta for genetic disorders.
• Prenatal testing and screening: Once you’re pregnant, we closely monitor the health of you and your baby. We do urine and blood tests, ultrasounds and amniocentesis, when needed. An amniocentesis tests your amniotic fluid, which surrounds your baby in the womb. This test can give us important information about your baby’s development and potential birth defects.
• Prepregnancy consultations and planning: Some women have diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease or another chronic condition. In these cases, we assess health risks that pregnancy could pose to you or your baby. Our experts also help you make a plan for managing your health condition if you decide to get pregnant.

Risk factors for high-risk pregnancies

Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists have experience caring for even the most complicated high-risk pregnancies. A variety of factors could threaten the health of you or your baby. These risk factors include:

• Age: Women over 35 and teenagers have a higher risk of pregnancy complications.
• Congenital disorders: Women born with heart defects, blood clotting disorders or other conditions must be monitored closely throughout pregnancy.
• Health conditions: High blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease and other chronic health issues can cause problems during pregnancy or birth.
• Multiples: A pregnancy with two or more babies increases your health risks.
• Past pregnancy complications: A history of miscarriages, preterm births, preeclampsia or other pregnancy-related problems increases the health risks to you and your baby.