Maternal-fetal care

Center for Maternal/Fetal Health in Denver, Colorado

Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (RMHC) is home to the most experienced team of maternal-fetal specialists in the Rocky Mountain region. Our multidisciplinary team specializes in the treatment of fetal and neonatal conditions and has treated patients who have traveled from a seven-state region to obtain care for high-risk pregnancies.

For more information about our Center for Maternal/Fetal Health, please call (720) 754-7642.

Our Center for Maternal/Fetal Health started in 1979 and has continued to deliver babies and provide high-level care for expecting mothers over the decades. Today, we are the only program in the Rocky Mountain region with a Level IV Maternal Care Program and a Level IV NICU, all on the same campus – under the same roof.

RMHC collaborates with Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center (P/SL) to provide fully integrated care for mothers and babies. We value keeping the family together during delivery, so we ensure you and your family are comfortable and protected in our Mom and Baby Unit. Additionally, our superior care has led P/SL to be recognized in the top five percent across the nation for labor and delivery.

Find a Maternal-Fetal Specialist

Our multidisciplinary maternal-fetal medicine team approach

We offer treatment from a wide range of specialists who work together to provide the best care for high-risk mothers and babies. Our physicians are highly trained and board certified in their fields and are regarded as among the best in the world.

From the moment you meet our physicians and patient navigators, you will experience our team’s dedication to the best possible outcomes for you and your baby. Our patient navigators offer personalized care coordination to ensure you have a seamless patient experience. They help coordinate multidisciplinary consultations and provide individualized education and support.

Our specialized physicians

We employ a truly multidisciplinary team approach to maternal-fetal medicine. Because of this, you may have any of the following types of specialists as part of your care team:

• Maternal-fetal specialists
• Fetal interventionists
• Neonatologists
• Pediatric surgeons
• Pediatric cardiologists
• Pediatric cardiac surgeons
• Pediatric neurosurgeons
• Pediatric neurologists
• Pediatric orthopedic specialists
• Pediatric urologists

Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists in Denver have been managing high-risk pregnancies for more than 30 years, longer than anyone else in the region. Dr. Jeffrey Hanson, Dr. Richard Porreco and Dr. Steve Rothenberg founded our Center for Maternal/Fetal Health and are part of a team that has delivered more than 55,000 high-risk babies. Few teams in the country have that kind of expertise.

Our comprehensive maternal-fetal support team

Additionally, we also have a dedicated, compassionate and highly experienced support team that includes:

• Neonatal nurse navigator
• Pediatric nurse navigator
• Genetic counselor
• Clinical health psychologist

Meet our compassionate support staff

High-risk pregnancy and childbirth

Approximately 10 percent of all pregnancies in the U.S. are high-risk pregnancies, meaning that the baby’s or mother’s health is threatened. Our Center for Maternal/Fetal Health partners with P/SL to ensure you receive the best care throughout a high-risk pregnancy and childbirth.

Women with certain medical conditions, like diabetes or high blood pressure, women who develop pregnancy issues, like preterm labor, women who are pregnant with twins or other multiples and women who become pregnant and are 40 years old or older are considered high-risk.

Our Denver perinatologists, or high-risk pregnancy doctors, care for women facing a wide range of high-risk conditions and are ready to help ensure you have a safe delivery.

Our highly skilled physicians are able to treat some conditions before your baby is born through highly specialized, fetal and neonatal interventional care, such as:

• Fetoscopic surgery
  • Fetal surgery for myelomeningocele for severe spina bifida
  • Fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for the treatment of severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS)
  • Fetoscopic bipolar cord coagulation (BCC)
  • Fetoscopic radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
• Ultrasound-guided fetal interventions
  • Ultrasound-guided bladder and amniotic shunt placement
  • Ultrasound-guided intrafetal radiofrequency ablation
• Other fetal interventions that include EXIT procedures for the delivery of babies with a compromised airway due to a variety of causes

The Rocky Mountain Placenta Accreta Program

Placenta accreta spectrum disorder is a range of severe pregnancy conditions that occur when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall. The rare condition affects only an estimated 0.2 percent of pregnancies, but its complications can be severe.

Placenta accreta exists on a spectrum and has three degrees:

1. Placenta accreta:The placenta is attached too firmly to the wall of the uterus
2. Placenta increta:The placenta invades more deeply into the muscle of the uterus
3. Placenta percreta:The placenta grows through the uterus to other nearby organs, such as the bladder

Those at risk of developing placenta accreta include women who have had previous Cesarean sections, have an abnormal position of the placenta (i.e., placenta previa), are 35 years old or older, have had previous uterine surgeries and/or have received in vitro fertilization.

The Rocky Mountain Placenta Accreta Center of Excellence is a regional leader in diagnosing, treating, and following up care of placenta accreta spectrum patients. Our comprehensive program includes:

• Specialized, highly experienced maternal fetal medicine physicians
• Multidisciplinary diagnosis and care through the collaboration of gynecologic oncologists, maternal fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists, interventional radiologists, neonatal nurse navigators and clinical health psychologists
• Highly personalized care provided through an attending-only model
• The region’s only Level IV Maternal Fetal Program located on the same site as its Level IV NICU
• A hybrid operating room where maternal fetal medicine specialists, gynecologic oncologists and interventional radiologists perform collaborative procedures
• Psychological support before, during and after birth
• Ongoing social/emotional support, including online support groups and nurse navigation

Our center is unique as we can support the highest level of care for mom and baby under one roof. Additionally, our maternal/fetal specialists are not only experts in the field but also passionate about providing advanced, high-quality treatments with a comprehensive, compassionate care system.

To learn more about the Rocky Mountain Placenta Accreta Program, contact a nurse navigator at (720) 754-7642.

Maternal-fetal conditions we treat

Our team of neonatologists and expert surgeons care for many conditions that may affect your baby—both conditions diagnosed prenatally and those diagnosed after birth. We care for gastrointestinal, heart, kidney, orthopedic, neurological and urologic conditions.

Our extensive maternal-fetal care program means we are trained to provide the highest level of care for even some of the rarest congenital conditions. We proudly treat the following maternal-fetal abnormalities, disorders and conditions:

Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Our maternal-fetal health program offers the highest level of care available in the region for babies that need the most intensive medical attention after birth. Our 84-bed, Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has a team of compassionate, accomplished support staff and board-certified neonatal surgeons, pediatric surgeons and specialists who are active in private practice and highly experienced in their fields.