For women experiencing high-risk pregnancies or pregnancy-related complications, Hoag’s specialized care makes all the difference.
One third of moms who deliver at Hoag are over the age of 37. “Women in Orange County are waiting longer to have children. And when they do decide to start a family, they’re choosing to deliver at Hoag,” said perinatologist Michael Haydon, M.D., Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine.
Advanced maternal age, usually defined as being 35 or older, confers a higher risk during pregnancy and childbirth. Some of the most common types of pregnancy-related high-risk conditions cared for by the Hoag team of Maternal Child Health specialists include multiple gestations (more than 100 sets of twins were born at Hoag in 2020), gestational diabetes, chronic hypertension and preeclampsia, preterm labor and preterm rupture of membranes, and risks related to assisted reproduction.
Hoag is uniquely qualified to care for all types of pregnancies, from the lowest to highest risk. The Fetal Diagnostic Center provides maternal and fetal monitoring for the highest-risk patients, and averages more than 500 patient visits each month. Women experiencing pregnancy-related complications at any time beyond 16 weeks gestation are evaluated by OB Hospitalists in the 4-bed dedicated Obstetrical Emergency Department co-located with Labor & Delivery and the Operating Rooms. The 9-bed Antepartum Unit is staffed by specialty trained high risk OB nurses, and a designated elevator expedites access to Labor & Delivery and the ORs should emergent delivery be necessary. Daily multidisciplinary meetings are held to plan the optimal care for inpatients on the Antepartum, Labor, and Delivery & Recovery units. Perinatal nurse navigators coordinate necessary pre-delivery consultations with the anesthesiologist, neonatologist and perinatologist to ensure the best outcomes for both mom and baby.
In the event of a preterm delivery, or if a baby needs additional support transitioning to life outside of the womb, the 21-bed, Level-III NICU is expertly staffed 24/7 by two neonatologists from Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Magnet-acclaimed neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists and pharmacists.
“High-risk expecting moms are in the best hands at Hoag,” said Dr. Haydon. “Providing comprehensive, family centered care, Hoag’s highly skilled team of nurses and physicians, along with our state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, help ensure the safest pregnancy and delivery.”
