Ohio’s New Antepartum unit to care for Pregnant Women with Complex Fetal Conditions

Cincinnati Children’s, a pediatric hospital, has opened a new antepartum unit within the Fetal Care Center to provide short- and long-term inpatient care for a growing population of women navigating a pregnancy complicated by a high-risk fetal complex disease.

Cincinnati Children’s is the only pediatric hospital in the region with an inpatient unit devoted to serving pregnant moms whose fetuses need complex care before and after birth. 

The facility’s Surgical Director, Dr. Foong-Yen Lim, said the rooms have been strategically placed in the hospital to provide pregnant women with the best quality care and proximity to any sophisticated fetal surgeries they may need leading up to birth. “We offer comprehensive care for expecting moms from prenatal diagnosis and counselling to birth and continue the care for moms and babies after birth,” he said.

The antepartum unit allows pregnant women to receive the care needed to prolong their pregnancy, reducing risks and enhancing outcomes for their babies. The unit serves as a second home for moms while addressing their medical needs in private rooms, the procedure room or the ultrasound room. Moms and their babies receive comprehensive services and subspecialty care needed at an in-patient level.

The care provided at the Fetal Care Center will positively change the outcomes for moms and babies and enable families across different locations to get good healthcare

With collaboration between TriHealth and UC Health’s maternal-fetal medicine specialists and experts in fetal imaging, fetal surgery and neonatology, patients have seamless access to care.

“ We offer new, state-of-the-art, prenatal medical interventions and technologies offering hope for babies who just a few years ago didn’t have that hope,” said Mounira Habli, MD, Medical Director, Fetal Care Center.