When your pregnancy is high-risk, all you want is for you and your baby to be healthy. With the maternal fetal medicine (MFM) specialists at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, you can feel confident that you and your baby are getting the highest level of care from a highly specialized team.
In addition to leading expertise, state-of-the-art ultrasounds and evidence-based approaches, we’re the region’s only maternal fetal medicine team to also provide routine prenatal care for our high-risk patients. Starting before conception, through pregnancy and after delivery, count on us for exceptional care, plus peace of mind, every step of the way.
What is maternal fetal medicine?
Maternal and fetal medicine is a branch of obstetrics that focuses on caring for high-risk pregnancies where either the mother or fetus need complex care.
A maternal fetal specialist, also called a perinatologist, is an OB-GYN with advanced training in diagnosing, treating and managing complications that can arise during pregnancy. If you or your baby have a medical condition or develop a pregnancy-related disease, an MFM doctor provides the specialized care you and your baby need.
How is MFM different from OB-GYN?
While an OB-GYN provides general pregnancy care, an MFM specialist focuses on high-risk pregnancies and complications. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, or if you develop complications such as preterm labor or fetal abnormalities, a maternal fetal medicine specialist doctor alongside your OB-GYN to ensure you receive specialized care.
A maternal fetal medicine doctor also performs specialized ultrasounds to monitor your baby’s development, including Level II ultrasounds, Doppler studies and 3D/4D imaging to assess fetal structures and blood flow.
Unlike OB-GYNs, maternal fetal medicine doctors do not perform deliveries. Instead, they work with your OB-GYN or midwife to provide expert care throughout pregnancy, ensuring the best outcomes for you and your baby.
Why choose Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Specialized team with unrivaled expertise
With a proven reputation for handling complicated pregnancies and births, we take care of more high-risk patients than anyone else in the region.
Our maternal fetal medicine team, the largest in the region, has some of the highest-trained providers in the U.S. This includes perinatologists, nurses, obstetric anesthesiologists and support staff, all specially trained in the complexities of high-risk pregnancies. We provide expert care in Greensboro and High Point, as well as in Winston-Salem, where we share a building with specialists in general obstetrics, neonatology, pediatric surgery and more.
No matter what, when you’re with us, you can trust you and your baby are exactly where you need to be.
Leaders in safety and quality
Keeping you and your baby safe is our top priority. We have proven protocols in place to help prevent and manage a complicated pregnancy, as well as a clinic focused on preventing preterm births. We’re also accredited by The American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine (AIUM) for exceeding national ultrasound exam standards and use the latest diagnostic technologies, including 3D and 4D fetal ultrasounds.
For families whose unborn baby has received a severe or life-limiting diagnosis, we offer Care Always. A collaboration between maternal fetal medicine and neonatology, this program provides care that focuses on quality of life for infants with complex medical conditions.
Connection to Brenner Children’s Hospital
As part of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, our maternal-fetal medicine team gives you and your baby seamless access to Brenner Children’s Hospital and everything it has to offer. This includes pediatric specialists and the most advanced NICU in the region.