High-Risk Pregnancy Care

Obtaining high-risk pregnancy care is important if you’re pregnant and have certain risk factors that could threaten you and/or your baby’s health. High-risk pregnancy care provides close monitoring from your OB/GYN or a maternal-fetal medicine specialist — a physician who specializes in complex pregnancies — throughout pregnancy. Your care team will also be able to determine if you have risk factors that require specialized treatment.

At Riverside Healthcare, we partner with the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s to provide high-risk pregnancy care from pediatric hospitalists. These physicians specialize in caring for hospitalized children, including newborns. If your baby needs specialized or advanced care, we can transfer him or her to the neonatal intensive care unit at Comer Children’s Hospital.

What Is a High-Risk Pregnancy?

Your OB/GYN may diagnose a high-risk pregnancy if you have one or more factors that could cause problems for you or your baby or lead you to deliver early. Your pregnancy may be high-risk if you:

Are age 35 or older
Are expecting multiple births, such as twins or triplets
Drink alcohol or use substances
Have a history of premature labor
Have given birth to a child with a genetic disorder
Have certain chronic medical conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes
Smoke
Were overweight or underweight before conceiving

Our High-Risk Pregnancy Care Services

As part of our partnership with the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, pediatricians are on-site at Riverside Medical Center every day, around the clock. They work with our providers to care for children throughout the hospital, including infants in the Family Birthing Center. These pediatricians:

Assist with high-risk deliveries
Care for babies with special medical needs
Communicate with the other physicians on patients’ care teams to keep them informed

If your baby was born premature or with a health problem requiring specialized care, such as breathing or nutrition support, our partnership with the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital allows for a seamless transition of care to the hospital. The hospital is home to:

The Margaret M. and George A. Stephen Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the Midwest
The Ingalls Special Care Nursery, which features incubators, respiratory support and monitoring, nutrition support, and other specialized equipment

University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital features a diverse team of pediatric subspecialists, including experts in pediatric surgery. That ensures the smallest patients receive advanced, comprehensive care.