Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Fetal Care Center

As a leading women’s hospital in the Southeast, Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies is committed to advancing the care of unborn babies through expanded treatment options. Our Fetal Care Center, part of Center for Material Fetal Medicine, and in partnership with the Leon Pediatric Neuroscience Center of Excellence, is dedicated to helping families when prenatal conditions are diagnosed.

Our team of renowned doctors, specialists and nurses can explain your choices for care and will stay with you throughout your pregnancy, the birth of your child and afterward into recovery.

We help you get the answers you need. Through personalized care plans, our dedicated team supports your decisions medically and emotionally. Our staff coordinates your care with experts in maternal, fetal and pediatric medicine at our advanced facilities, so you can focus on healing and moving forward.

Fetal Care Services

Our Fetal Care center is here to assist you and your family throughout your pregnancy journey, from diagnosis and prenatal care through delivery and care after birth. Our team of skilled surgeons are trained extensively in specialized procedures, including open fetal options to ensure the best outcome for you and your baby.

• In-depth evaluation of fetal anatomy, growth and well-being, using ultrasound, and in some cases, fetal echocardiogram
• Diagnosis and treatment of fetal anomalies
• Identification of birth defects in utero, such as cleft palate and cleft lip, and the establishment of a plan for care once your child is delivered
• One-on-one consultation and counseling from a specialized fetal care physician
• Genetic counseling when there is an underlying genetic component to your child’s condition
• Patient-directed care, enabling you to decide with your physician whether to observe the condition, or have a corrective procedure
• Connection to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, allowing you access to pediatric specialists
• Innovative fetal procedures, including in utero fetal surgery, available at only a handful of centers across the country
• One of the nations most experienced labor and delivery units and neonatal intensive care units (NICU)

Leaders in Performing Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida

At the Fetal Care Center, our goal is to provide the best possible care for mother and child, and that may mean surgery before your baby is born. Our experienced surgeons perform innovative procedures that include repairing the most severe form of spina bifida. Only a few hospitals in the United States can perform this type of open fetal surgery. Orlando Health Winnie Palmer is the first in the state of Florida to offer this option and is the only facility in the Southeast for this treatment.

The benefits of prenatal repair of the spine include the likelihood of better mobility for the child as well as a decreased need for a brain shunt. Our team’s expertise and experience have produced consistent, positive outcomes for babies with spina bifida, and our program continues to flourish.

Mothers at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer can request evaluations for this surgical program. If they meet the strict scientific criteria for fetal surgery, they will be offered the surgery as one of the treatment options available to them. Our fetal surgery team follows the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the MOMS clinical study. Every mother and her fetus undergo a thorough workup to determine their candidacy for fetal surgery. Patients then decide whether they want to proceed with this delicate surgery or opt for treatment after their babies are born. For both medical approaches, patients can feel confident they are receiving the highest level of care available anywhere for babies with spina bifida.

Our Team Approach to Care

At the Fetal Care Center, you will have access to our team of internationally recognized experts, including perinatologists, pediatric specialists, and genetic counselors who continuously work to advance the techniques used to treat fetal conditions and improve patient outcomes. Our multidisciplinary approach means you and your baby benefit from highly trained specialists collaborating for the most effective results. This exceptional care happens all in one place during one appointment—no need for separate visits with different providers. We are here to support you every step of the way.

• Fetal surgery physician: A doctor specially trained to repair fetal structural abnormalities in-utero or fix placental blood flow imbalances to improve fetal growth and development.
• Fetal care nurses/coordinators: Registered nurses, who help answer questions, schedule appointments, attend surgeries and coordinate with your primary physician.
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician: A specialized physician also known as a perinatologist who manages the health of the mother and baby before, during and shortly after pregnancy. They diagnose and treat many aspects of high-risk pregnancies, as well as assist in fetal surgeries.
• Fetal care sonographers: A team of ultra sonographers that performs specialized ultrasounds and echocardiograms for a range of high-risk conditions in pregnancy, as well as provide ultrasound guidance during surgeries.
• Pediatric specialists: Specialty providers from Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children are available to treat fetal conditions affecting your baby. Through our multidisciplinary approach, they will consult on your baby's condition prior to delivery to help you understand what to expect once your baby is born. These providers will be available throughout your pregnancy and will provide follow-up care after your baby's arrival.
  • Anesthesiology
  • Cardiology
  • Craniomaxillofacial Surgery
  • Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Neurosurgery
  • Neonatology
  • Nephrology
  • Palliative Care
  • Surgery
  • Urology