The Fetal Heart Program at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center specializes in the detection and management of a wide variety of heart conditions prior to birth. Heart disease is the most common congenital condition affecting newborns and our team is experienced in taking care of all forms of heart defects.

Our program provides a wide range of services for families carrying a baby with a heart defect. These include:

  • New fetal imaging equipment with state-of-the-art technology. We are one of the few programs in the southeast to offer early fetal cardiac imaging, which allows diagnosis of heart defects as early as 15 weeks' gestation.
  • In-depth counseling sessions with expecting families to discuss any heart condition identified, treatment options and expected outcomes.
  • Working closely with your obstetrician to plan for a safe labor and delivery and make sure a full team is available for the birth of your child, as needed.

What to Expect at Your Visit to the Fetal Heart Program

During your visit to the Fetal Heart Program you will receive:

  • A fetal echocardiogram (an ultrasound test to view your baby's heart structures in detail)
  • The ultrasound will be reviewed by a fetal cardiologist specializing in fetal heart defects.
  • Consultation with a fetal cardiologist with time for questions.

What to Expect if Your Baby has a Heart Defect

  • One of our fetal cardiologists who specializes in fetal heart defects will meet with you and discuss the condition in detail and provide a plan for care of your child
  • Our fetal heart team works closely with our specialty groups including neonatology (NICU), maternal fetal medicine (MFM) and OB/GYN to discuss your baby's care and provide a well rounded team approach.
  • Ongoing support and visits to the fetal team every 4-6 weeks to follow your baby's heart condition and allow for further meetings and questions for our team.
  • A tour of our facilities and an opportunity to meet other members of the team including our heart surgeons.
  • If interested, an opportunity to speak to other families who have children with heart abnormalities
  • If you are initially seen by our Greensboro team we can arrange a video link to allow you to speak with our pediatric heart surgeons from Winston-Salem. A follow up visit will also be scheduled at Brenner Children's to allow for a tour of our facilities and an opportunity to meet the cardiac team.