What is perinatal care?

Perinatal care is the term for care provided to families when an anatomic or genetic birth defect is identified in a fetus. Perinatal care also helps expectant parents deal with the fear, uncertainty and emotions surrounding the diagnosis of a birth defect in a fetus.

Perinatal care units often involve a team of specialists, with multidisciplinary care for the expectant mother and fetus, as well as care for the newborn baby after birth. Common specialties involved in perinatal care may include cardiology, neurology, genetics, general surgery, orthopedics and radiology. Such a multidisciplinary approach enables comprehensive and fully coordinated care for the mother and the fetus or newborn baby.