Any expectant mother who has concerns about receiving blood transfusions should notify her physician. It is possible to arrange, in advance, for other methods to ensure the well-being of mother and child should blood loss become a consideration. Ours is the only such program in Fairfield County with a full-time coordinator who will make all the needed arrangements for you. For information, please call the coordinator of Blood Management Services, David Gonzalez, (203) 384-3848.
Some mothers need the cesarean-section room. (Forty to forty-five percent of babies at Bridgeport Hospital are born by cesarean, since many mothers are referred here for our high-risk pregnancy services.)
Learn more about c-sections
Bridgeport Hospital offers genetic counseling, perinatal and preconceptual consultation.
Learn more about our consultation services
Diabetes in Pregnancy affects 1/20 to 1/30 pregnancies. Diabetes causes high levels of sugar to circulate in the mother's blood. These high levels can cause the fetus to grow too large to be safely delivered vaginally. In severe cases, high levels of sugar can cause fetal injury and death. The Diabetes in Pregnancy program follows women with diabetes to help control the level of blood sugar. Members of the Diabetes in Pregnancy team involve diabetic nurse educators, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and dieticians. We work with your physician/midwife to coordinate your care to help insure the best possible outcome for your pregnancy. The Diabetes in Pregnancy program was certified by the American Diabetes Association in 1999.
Learn more about gestational diabetes
Non-Stress Testing involves using a fetal monitor to listen to the fetus's heart rate and measure uterine contractions. It is known that a healthy baby will increase its heart rate when it moves. This test is performed when your doctor/midwife is concerned that the placenta may not be functioning well. Typical reasons for non-stress testing include screening for pre-term labor, postdate pregnancies, suspected poor fetal growth, medical problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes in the mother, or previous pregnancy complications.
Our neonatologists work as a team with our perinatologists to give pregnant women and their infants the most advanced care. Neonatologists specialize in the care of critically ill or low-birthweight infants.
Our 20-bassinet Newborn Intensive Care Unit is Fairfield County’s highest level NBICU, (level IIIB), where premature, low-birthweight, or critically ill newborns are given special care.
Over 600 amniocenteses are performed each year in the Antenatal Testing Unit. Amniocentesis involves placing a thin needle through a mother's abdominal wall into the amniotic sac to obtain fluid for fetal testing.
Learn more about prenatal diagnosis
Premature Birth (fetal age < 37 weeks at delivery) is a major cause of newborn injury. The Prematurity Prevention Program at the Antenatal Testing Unit involves reviewing pregnancy history and outcome, obtaining appropriate tests, and following patients who are at risk for preterm delivery. The use of vaginal ultrasound to look at cervical length and dilation (opening of the womb) along with contraction monitoring can help identify women who are at increased risk for preterm delivery so that proper measures can be taken, if needed.
Perinatologists are obstetricians who specialize in high-risk pregnancies. Bridgeport Hospital has five perinatologists who are specialists in Maternal/Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Ultrasound involves the use of sound waves to pass inside a mother's body to create a picture of the fetus and uterus. Ultrasound does not involve any radiation exposure and is safe in pregnancy. Ultrasound can be used to determine the age, size, and anatomy of the fetus as well as look at the mother's uterus and cervix.
