Fetal and Pregnancy Health

When expectant parents learn that their unborn baby has been diagnosed with a high-risk condition, our multidisciplinary Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program team at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford is here to address the needs of both mother and baby before, during, and after the birth.

Packard Children’s Hospital is the only children’s hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area—and one of the few in the country—to offer complex obstetric, delivery, newborn, and pediatric services all in one place.

We provide integrated obstetric and neonatal care as part of the Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services and closely coordinate with specialized pediatric medical and surgical services within Packard Children’s Hospital as needed. And due to our connection with Stanford Hospital, we’re uniquely positioned to provide seamless care for expectant and new mothers who may also need adult specialty services, including mothers with cardiac disorders, lupus, cancer, hypertension, and other complex health issues.

Why choose Stanford for your fetal and pregnancy health care?

Our program specializes in providing comprehensive, coordinated care for complex fetal conditions and placental disorders.

Our team combines the expertise of more than two dozen medical and surgical subspecialists, including maternal-fetal medicine (high-risk obstetrics) neonatology; perinatal genetics; fetal and pediatric radiology, surgery, and cardiology; and many more. This unique team of experts makes sure that you and your baby have the best care possible, through the following

Coordinated care

We strive to make your care seamless by having a single point of entry—one phone call, and care is coordinated from there onward. We create an individualized care plan with each patient, depending on the needs of mother, fetus, and baby.

Innovative diagnostics and treatments

We use the most sophisticated imaging, including level 2, 3-D, and 4-D ultrasound; prenatal MRI; and fetal echocardiography to accurately diagnose the most complex fetal anomalies and pregnancy-related conditions. This lets us closely examine fetal anomalies or monitor a specific condition and determine if surgery is needed. When it is, we perform innovative in utero interventions and therapy for unborn babies that may not be possible anywhere else. Our participation in leading-edge clinical trials allows us to offer some of the most innovative fetal therapies available today.

Quality care

We offer a comprehensive continuum of extraordinary care. We care for the mother, fetus, and baby at every stage, from evaluation and diagnosis through pregnancy care, delivery and treatment, and follow-up. This level of high-quality care was recognized by U.S. News & World Report, which ranked Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in all 10 pediatric specialties, and ranked Neonatology third in the nation in their 2020–2021 Best Children’s Hospitals survey.

Family-centered care

We respect the crucial role of family in care and collaboration, and we help you understand your baby’s condition, including providing tools like virtual reality so that you can learn about certain conditions. You can receive emotional support from our team’s dedicated mental health clinician, and we can also connect you with the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health's family support services and housing experts who can aid you with your relocation so that you can be close to the hospital for the delivery.

Stanford Fetal Therapy VR

Learn about our VR simulation that gives patients a closer view of complex fetal conditions and how we treat them.

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Learn about advancements in maternal-fetal research and care happening at Stanford Medicine Children's Health