Typical Fetal Heart Program journey

Our highly skilled, compassionate team will be here for you at every step, from diagnosis through delivery and beyond. Depending on your baby’s situation and when you’re referred 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 an anatomy scan reveals that there may be an issue with your baby’s heart or the baby may have a risk factor for heart disease. After your obstetrician (OB) refers you to the Fetal Heart Program, our fetal cardiac nurse coordinator will contact you to complete an intake questionnaire and set up your first appointment. This nurse will help coordinate your care and serve as a consistent resource throughout your pregnancy.

The first visit can take up to 2 hours. At this appointment, a sonographer/ ultrasound technologist will perform a fetal echocardiogram (ultrasound) to see the baby’s heart in motion and get various pictures. You can expect the ultrasound to take about 30-45 minutes. Then you’ll see the fetal cardiologist, who 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 in preparing you for your first consultation.

4-8 weeks after your first visit

Your second appointment is usually shorter. We’ll take another look at your baby’s heart, watching for any subtle changes that might affect your delivery and treatment plan. If you have any more questions or want to review the diagnosis again, we are happy to talk about all of this again.

28-32 weeks of pregnancy

If needed, this visit will focus on delivery planning and is required if you need to deliver at Froedtert Hospital. In addition to seeing the fetal cardiologist, you will see the high risk obstetricians in the same clinic. At this visit, we will come up with the official plan for your baby’s delivery. You will have the opportunity to consult with a number of other specialists, including a pediatric heart surgeon, lactation specialist, social worker, psychologist, genetics counselor, child life specialist to assist with sibling care and other specialists if needed. This appointment can take a long time and may require a full day.

Delivery

After your baby is born, the care team will do another echocardiogram to look at how your baby’s heart is functioning outside of the womb. Timing of this will be determined by your fetal cardiac team who creates a plan for all of the doctors who will take care of your baby after birth. Some newborns can go home right away, while others might require immediate surgery or additional monitoring at the hospital.

Long-term

Your child may need to be regularly monitored by a pediatric cardiologist. The frequency of your visits will be determined by your child’s condition. The Herma Heart Institute is also home to Wisconsin’s largest adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) program, so your child can remain in our care, throughout their lifetime.

What to expect