Your First Appointment
at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon St. Louis Fetal Care Institute
Your first visit at the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon St. Louis Fetal Care Institute will likely last a full day. This visit will consist of meeting with specialists, and additional testing, such as detailed ultrasounds and possibly a fetal MRI and fetal ECHO (echocardiogram). Throughout the day, we will collect all of the diagnostic information gathered from these tests, speak to you about your family history and discuss your unique family needs.
You will also meet with a wide variety of caregivers and medical specialists who will work with you throughout the entirety of your pregnancy. Depending on the needs of you and your baby, you will speak with pediatric and maternal fetal medicine physicians, specialized in the care of certain conditions. You may also meet with a genetic counselor, social worker, sonographer, Footprints℠ coordinator and financial counselor.
After all of your consultations, our team will meet as a group to discuss your case: the prognosis, any uncertainties, and recommendations for the pregnancy and delivery.
We will then meet with you and your family to discuss your unique situation, present available options and answer any questions you may have. We may also provide guidance regarding:
- The monitoring of your pregnancy
- Follow-up testing
- Interventions
- Therapy during pregnancy and after delivery
- Delivery time and location
- Mode of delivery
- Follow-up after birth
We know how important it is to have your support system at your appointments with you, which is why you are welcome to bring two healthy adult visitors with you. We also offer virtual visits for anyone who can't join you in-person at the appointment. Your nurse coordinator can help with arrangements for this.
When you arrive at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, you will check-in at the main entrance and be directed to the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon St. Louis Fetal Care Institute for registration and care.
It is important to be aware of the stress a unique pregnancy can cause, especially during these changing times. The emotional health of our moms is very important to us, which is why we screen each patient for perinatal depression at all of her visits.
Our team is here to support you, and we want to make sure you know it is okay to ask for help! We are only a phone call away at (314) 268-4037 (select option 2) if you need to talk.