Treatment

Fetal Heart Program

Highly specialized heart care through pregnancy, birth and beyond

At the Herma Heart Institute, we understand the fears and challenges facing families like yours. We are here to answer all your questions and support you in every step of your heart journey. Our team provides expert heart care that fits what your child needs. We care for patients of all ages and stages — from before birth and into adulthood.

What To Know About the Fetal Heart Program

It can be a shock to learn that your unborn baby might have a heart problem. Having a baby is stressful enough. But a fetal heart condition makes your pregnancy and delivery even more difficult. Each year, hundreds of families trust the experts in the Fetal Heart Program at the Herma Heart Institute. We provide the best possible care through pregnancy, birth and beyond.

What To Expect with the Fetal Heart Program

Typical Fetal Heart Program journey
Our highly skilled team will be here for you at every step, from diagnosis through delivery and beyond. Depending on your baby’s situation and when you come to us, you might have one to four appointments with the Fetal Heart Program team before delivery. Here is the typical process:

19-24 Weeks of Pregnancy
This is usually when a scan of your baby’s body shows there may be a problem with their heart. We may also learn your baby has at risk for heart disease. After your obstetrician (OB) refers you to the Fetal Heart Program, our fetal cardiac nurse coordinator will contact you. They will ask you to fill out a question form and set your first appointment. This nurse will be your contact person during your pregnancy.

The first visit can take up to two hours. At this appointment, a sonographer/ultrasound technologist will perform a fetal echocardiogram (ultrasound) to watch the baby’s heart beat and take pictures. You can expect the ultrasound to take about 30-45 minutes. You’ll then see the fetal cardiologist. They will walk you through your baby’s diagnosis, answer any questions you may have and review your care options and next steps. Our guided questions toolkit may be helpful to prepare you for your first meeting.

4-8 Weeks After Your First Visit
Your second appointment is usually shorter. We’ll take another look at your baby’s heart. We’ll check for any changes that might affect your delivery and treatment plan. If you have any more questions, we are happy to answer them.

28-32 Weeks of Pregnancy
This visit is needed if you plan on delivering at the Froedtert Hospital Birth Center. You will see the fetal cardiologist and the high-risk obstetricians. At this visit, we will come up with the plan for your baby’s delivery. You will have the chance to meet with many specialists, including a pediatric heart surgeon, lactation specialist, social worker, psychologist, genetics counselor, child life specialist and others, if needed. This visit can take a long time and may need a full day.

Delivery
After your baby is born, the care team will do another test of your baby’s heart (echocardiogram) to see how it’s working outside of the womb. Timing of this will be determined by your fetal cardiac team. They create a plan for all the doctors who will take care of your baby after birth. Some newborns can go home right away. Others may need surgery or more monitoring in the hospital.

Long-Term
Your child may need to see a pediatric cardiologist often. When these visits take place will be based on your child’s condition. The Herma Heart Institute is also home to Wisconsin’s largest Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program. That means your child can stay in our care their entire life.

Why Choose the Herma Heart Institute for Fetal Heart Care

Outstanding outcomes: If your child needs surgery, you’ll have access to world-class heart surgeons. The Herma Heart Institute has some of the best results for even the most complex types of heart disease.

Care close to home: The Herma Heart Institute has 10 clinic locations. These clinics can be found in Wisconsin and upper Michigan.

Lifelong support: We provide care to our patients in all ages and stages of life — from before birth through adulthood. Your fetal heart doctor can care for your child through their childhood. As they age, they can transition into our Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program.

Commitment to innovation: Our team is leading the way in congenital heart disease research. We are working to discover breakthrough treatments and procedures to improve outcomes.

Advanced diagnostic tools: We have state-of-the-art fetal echocardiography equipment (also called fetal ultrasound or fetal echo). It lets us see and test your unborn baby’s heart structure, rhythm and function. For certain conditions, our team might use fetal MRI and maternal hyperoxygenation testing. This will let us test your baby’s heart and its effects on the lungs. We are also one of the few centers in the world to offer fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG). This helps us diagnose fetal heart rhythm problems with greater accuracy.

On-site labor and delivery facilities: You can deliver your baby at the Froedtert Hospital Birth Center, which connected to the Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee Hospital. It has special expertise in high-risk pregnancies. It also lets the whole family to stay close if your baby needs extra care in our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Compassionate care for the whole family: For families with older children, our child life specialists can offer reassurance and help kids of all ages understand your baby’s diagnosis. Big brothers and sisters can also enjoy art projects, games and toys in our Playroom of Hope sibling care room while the rest of the family recovers.