Frequently Asked Questions

Commonly asked questions about specialized pregnancy care

What can I expect at my first appointment with the Maternal Pregnancy Heart Program team?

When you come to us for an initial evaluation, you will meet with a maternal-fetal medicine doctor (who specializes in high-risk pregnancies). During future appointments, your MFM doctor will collaborate with a cardiologist (heart doctor) and an obstetric anesthesiologist, as needed, to evaluate your health and your baby’s health and to create the best possible pregnancy and delivery care plan for you.

What does my specialized pregnancy care consist of? How will you care for me and my baby?

• Since pregnancy can change how your heart functions, we watch your heart closely throughout your pregnancy and address any concerns.
• We create, with your input, a personalized plan for your pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum (after delivery) care. You can expect to see us regularly.
• Throughout your pregnancy, we’ll also monitor’s your baby’s health, and we will partner with our Fetal Cardiology Program team and other Stanford Medicine Children’s Health specialists, as needed. We will take all the precautions to ensure that both you and your baby will have the best possible outcomes.
• At delivery time, we aim to give you as normal a birthing experience as possible. For example, we have great success helping women deliver vaginally and bringing babies to full term.
• During delivery, we have experts available to support your every health need.

Why do I need specialized pregnancy care?

Even if your heart condition is mild or under good control, you need specialized care because during pregnancy your heart works close to 50% harder.

Why should I choose Stanford Medicine Children’s Health for my pregnancy care?

At Stanford Medicine, we are known for attracting top doctors who provide research-driven, advanced care. With us, you get care from two hospitals (children’s/obstetrics and adult) acting as one team, meaning that you have double the experts caring for you and your baby. Your care is conveniently in one place, and your doctors continually communicate to provide you with seamless, coordinated care. This means better outcomes for you and your baby. It is fairly common for expectant mothers with heart issues to need advanced care, and we are ready to skillfully provide the best care available.

What is multidisciplinary care and why do I need it?

Having a multidisciplinary team (experts from different care areas) is proven to improve your chances at an excellent outcome of your pregnancy. It’s especially important for pregnant women with heart disease to receive this highly specialized care, since heart disease is the leading cause of maternal death in the United States. Because each of our multiple experts views your care through a unique lens, we are able to tailor care to your precise needs, anticipate possible problems, and provide the right care at the right time. Because of this, we are successful at preventing or minimizing complications and keeping you and your baby healthy and safe.