Upstate Maternal-Fetal Medicine
What is Maternal Fetal Medicine?
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A Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist is an Ob/Gyn physician who has completed an additional two to three years of education and training. MFM specialists are high-risk pregnancy experts. We’re the go-to for pregnant women who arrive in the hospital for any reason, whether after an accident or at the onset of a kidney infection. In other cases, it’s the baby who faces the un-routine. If we find birth defects or growth problems, we can start treatment before birth, providing monitoring, blood transfusions and surgery to support babies until they are ready to arrive in the world.
Your First Visit
In general, at your first visit, you should expect to have an ultrasound and be seen by one of our nurses and a physician. In addition, you may also be seen by our genetic counselor and/or our diabetic nurse. Altogether, many first visits will last 1-3 hours, depending on the visit type.
You may require no further MFM office visits or we may continue to care for you along with your ob/gyn physician.
A typical consultation in our office will involve a thorough ultrasound assessment of the fetus. The sonographer then reviews the ultrasound images directly with the MFM doctor who may perform additional ultrasound evaluation.
The MFM doctor will then discuss your medical history and the ultrasound findings to create a comprehensive care plan for your pregnancy. Depending on the reason for your visit, you may also be seen by our genetic counselor and/or our diabetic educator. Altogether, many first visits will last 2-3 hours.
The information from your visit will be shared with your OB provider. The MFM doctor works closely with pediatric subspecialists, such as neonatologists and pediatric cardiologists, to ensure safe delivery plans for your baby.
Diabetes in Pregnancy Program
A special form of diabetes may develop in pregnancy for some mothers. Others already have diabetes which can worsen in pregnancy. Our diabetes in pregnancy program helps to achieve the best possible outcomes for mom and baby.
If a patient has diabetes prior to pregnancy or gets diagnosed with diabetes in pregnancy, our Certified Diabetic Educator works with the MFM doctors to provide in person and virtual care.
Nutritional teaching separate from diabetic education is recommended at the time of diagnosis.
Most insurance companies, including Medicare, cover diabetes education costs. Our staff is happy to verify insurance coverage and arrange for pre-authorization of services, if necessary. The Diabetes Self-Management Education Program is located in Suite 200 of the St. Francis Millennium Medical Office Building. Valet parking services are provided for your convenience. For more information, please call 864-400-3651 or email umfmdiabetes@bshsi.org
Support
While usually pregnancy and childbirth are some of the happiest times for a family, sometimes there are stressors which result in a need for additional support.
Support Groups by Maternal or Fetal Concern
Share Upstate Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group
Postpartum Support International
YoMingo®
Bon Secours offers 24/7 parent education powered by YoMingo®, an education program designed to give you convenient access to valuable information. It includes the tools and support you need at every stage of your journey.
YoMingo gives you access to:
- Evidence-based information on prenatal care, labor & birth, postpartum, breastfeeding, and newborn care including lots of videos
- Information specific to your arrival and stay at Bon Secours
- List of available classes and support groups
- Kick counter, contraction timer, personal journal, feeding log, immunization log, and other tools
This education powered by YoMingo is available on any device with an internet connection and also as a mobile app called YoMingo.
Register for the program by clicking here:
Once you have registered, you will receive an email invitation from noreply@yomingo.com where you will be provided unique login credentials. If you do not receive the email in your inbox, be sure to check your junk/spam folder. You can also download the mobile app version by searching your app store for “YoMingo”
Already registered? Log in here: https://app.yomingo.com/
Disclaimer: The information in YoMingo® is NOT intended to take the place of a healthcare provider or any information that your healthcare provider has discussed with you about your own personal health. It is imperative and advised that you find care and work with your healthcare provider to keep yourself healthy and safe. Always call your healthcare provider with any questions you may have. By creating an account in YoMingo, you have verified that you have read and agree to this disclaimer.