Jennifer, a Huntington Beach resident, was shocked, as any parent would be, when doctors discovered during her 15th week of pregnancy that one of her twin girls, Brianna, had heart defects which put Jennifer and her twin girls in danger for a high-risk pregnancy. When Jennifer delivered her twin girls at 36 weeks, she was comforted by knowing that she was being cared for under the same roof as her babies.
Ashley’s twin sister, Briana, was born with a complex heart condition involving several heart defects that occur due to abnormal development of the fetal heart. When doctors discovered the defects Jennifer was then referred by her physician in Orange County to the MemorialCare Center for Women at Miller Children’s Hospital because of its renowned perinatal “high-risk pregnancy” program. After much research, Jennifer decided to deliver her twins and receive specialized care at the MemorialCare Center for Women because of its premier level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which treats the most critical infants possible, under the same roof as they care for mom. Jennifer felt assured that she was receiving leading perinatal care while Brianna was only footsteps away being cared for in a NICU and Ashley just down the hall being cared for in the newborn nursery.
“Knowing that Jennifer was a high-risk pregnancy case and that Brianna had heart defects, our high-risk pregnancy team and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), were working closely together preparing in the weeks leading up to the twins’ birth. Ashley, while free from a heart defect, was still under constant monitoring in the nursery because she was born early and was smaller. Thanks to both our high-risk pregnancy and neonatal NICU team, these high-risk babies are healthier than ever,” says Arthur Strauss, M.D., NICU, Miller Children’s Hospital. “At Miller Children’s Hospital you can feel confident that we’re providing the best of care for you and your child, under one roof.”
Today, Ashley and Briana are ready to take the stage singing, dancing and just being energetic little girls, thanks to the specialized care at Miller Children’s Hospital.
High-Risk Pregnancy Program
Some pregnancies and newborns require special attention and care. The MemorialCare Center for Women at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach features a perinatal special care unit with a team of highly skilled physicians and nurses offering this expert care for high-risk pregnancies and premature births. The unit has 10 beds and a central monitoring system that allows for continual observation of any patient’s fetal heart tracing from throughout the unit to the physician’s lounge. With state-of-the-art facilities and skilled professionals, Miller Children’s provides comprehensive support to all women, including those with the most sensitive pregnancies and newborns.
 The health care team monitors the health of mom and baby, reviews any advanced tests or ultrasounds that may be needed and offers counseling. Treatment for problems in pregnancy ranges from weekly or monthly ultrasound monitoring to complex intravenous infusions and medication management. Some pregnancies may require hospitalization leading up to child birth.
The health care team at the MemorialCare Center for Women high risk antepartum unit provides specialized care to women who are experiencing complications during their pregnancies including: preterm labor; pregnancy-induced hypertension; bleeding; chronic hypertension (high blood pressure) diabetes; asthma or hyperemesis (vomiting). Obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists work with the care team of highly trained nurses and technicians to provide advanced monitoring, pain management and other support.
About 3-5 of every 1,000 women develop such severe nausea and vomiting, known as morning sickness, that weight loss and dehydration can jeopardize the health of both mother and baby. At the Memorial Care Center for Women, years of research have produced successful therapy used to treat hyperemesis gravidarum (severe morning sickness). Most patients feel better within hours of receiving the therapy, stop vomiting after one day and are back home from the hospital after a second day. Hypertension is the most common medical problem encountered during pregnancy. High blood pressure in pregnancy is classified into four categories:
1) chronic hypertension
2) preeclampsia-eclampsia
3) preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension
4) gestational hypertension
Expectant women experiencing mild chronic hypertension are placed on antihypertensive therapy and monitored to assess if it worsens. Women with preeclampsia, brought on by hypertension should be hospitalized for close observation. The MemorialCare Center for Women’s high-risk pregnancy program continuously monitors expectant moms with hypertension, performing fetal testing at least two times a week. When the patient is less than 34 weeks gestation, attempts are made to prolong the pregnancy to allow further fetal growth and maturation. Should an early delivery occur, patients can feel comforted about the high quality of care their newborn will receive at Miller Children’s Hospital NICU, just steps away from the delivery rooms at the MemorialCare Center for Women. The MemorialCare Center for Women features a Sweet Success affiliate program, aimed at promoting the appropriate perinatal care of women and their offspring during their pregnancies. Sweet Success team members keep abreast on new diabetes and pregnancy research and educational tools for their patients.
The Sweet Success program offers nutritional services, diabetes education, home blood glucose monitoring, endocrinology consultation and maternal fetal medicine consultation for women with gestational diabetes or pre-existing diabetes. In most cases treatment of expectant women with diabetes is handled as outpatient throughout the pregnancy. Patients who may need hospitalization will be admitted to the perinatal program at the MemorialCare Center for Women.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a high-risk infant born in a hospital with a Level III NICU has higher survival rates than a similar infant born in a hospital without a NICU. The MemorialCare Center for Women offers a leading high-risk pregnancy program which provides constant monitoring of mom and baby, while the baby grows as much as possible in the stable environment of the womb. These high-risk perinatal programs are designed to ensure a safe delivery and a smooth transition to the NICU at Miller Children’s Hospital.
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