Fetal Care Program

From before birth through delivery and into follow-up care, the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Fetal Care Program provides one seamless plan for mothers with complex and high-risk pregnancies.

Women and families facing a fetal anomaly have complex needs that include informational and emotional support throughout pregnancy, delivery and follow-up care. The Fetal Care Program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital offers a coordinated, family-centered approach to the diagnosis and treatment of fetal anomalies that brings perinatal, neonatal and pediatric specialists to the patient. Our team of experts works together to provide the very best care for mothers and their babies.

Why Choose Johns Hopkins All Children’s?

Streamlined Care. We partner with your primary obstetrician to ensure your care is streamlined and co-managed throughout your pregnancy. Your obstetrician will also receive a summary of your Johns Hopkins All Children’s care team.
Continuum of care. Our continuum of care model means we offer the full spectrum of maternal, fetal, neonatal and pediatric care.
Personalized treatment plan. Each patient has a unique situation. That’s why our team designs a personal care plan that fits the needs of every mother and her baby.
Expedited diagnosis and treatment. The sooner we know the diagnosis, the sooner we can begin treatment and care.
Patient care experience. From pregnancy management to neonatal care and delivery room care, our team guides mothers and families through the entire patient care experience.
Psychosocial services. We offer psychology services to parents and siblings to provide emotional support throughout pregnancy

Mom and Baby smile with help of Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Fetal Care Program

At 17 weeks pregnant, Melissa learned that her baby girl would also be born with a cleft lip. A flood of emotions and questions swept over her. Would she have complications during delivery? Would she be able to breastfeed? Would her child be bullied? Thankfully, her doctor referred her to the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Fetal Care program, where she met a team of experts from a neonatologist and maternal-fetal specialist to a lactation consultant and plastic surgeon.

Conditions We Treat

Our team is committed to making the most accurate diagnosis so we can provide each patient with the best treatment plan. We offer a wide range of treatments for conditions, which include:

Abdominal wall defects
- Gastroschisis
- Omphalocele
Cardiac issues (heart defects)
Cleft lip and cleft palate
Genetic abnormalities
High-risk maternal or fetal risk factors
Multiples (twins or greater)
Neural tube defects
Orthopaedics (including clubfoot, scoliosis, osteogenesis)
Renal (kidney) issues (including multicystic dysplastic kidney, hydronephrosis, renal agenesis)
Risk for pre-term delivery

A Team of Experts

We assemble the most appropriate team of experts to provide each patient with the best individualized care plan. A patient’s care team might include specialists from:

What to Expect

Once you arrive at our practice, you will have an ultrasound and meet with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician who specializes in high-risk maternal and fetal care.

You will also meet your RN specialty coordinator, who will be your navigator throughout your pregnancy and birthing journey. Your coordinator will give you the most up-to-date information about you and your baby’s care.

On a follow-up visit, you will meet with your entire care team, including pediatric subspecialty physicians, which usually consists of a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician, neonatologist, developmental specialist from our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), your RN specialty coordinator and any pediatric subspecialty physician that will help care for your baby once he or she is born.

We will schedule a tour of our NICU and a meeting with one of our lactation consultants.

Delilah's Story

Sylvia faced much heartache in trying to become a mother. She had miscarriages in 2004 and 2006. She had many tears and enormous stress. She thought it might never happen. Sylvia has a rare antibody in her blood called PP1PK that can cause miscarriages or stillbirths. When she learned she was pregnant again, her doctor discovered the antibody and referred her to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Fetal Care Program designed to help women like Sylvia who have challenging pregnancies.