Fetal Cardiology Program | Patient Resources

• A Guide to Traveling to Boston for Care: This guide provides directions for travel (by air or car) to Boston Children’s Hospital, a partial listing of accommodations, suggestions for food and shopping, and maps of the hospital campus, the Longwood Medical Area, and public transit system (MBTA).
• Benderson Family Heart Center Inpatient Welcome Guide: This guide offers a complete rundown on the members of your care team, what you can expect during a stay, expectations for visitors, and much more.
• The Hale Family Center for Families: Dedicated to supporting patient families throughout their entire journey at Boston Children's Hospital, the staff of the center is available to answer questions, provide resources, and offer guidance. 
• Patient Family Housing Program: Deciding where the majority of your family are going to sleep during a hospital stay can be a very important decision. For parents or guardians who want to remain close by, there is a space in most rooms for one person to sleep in the hospital. For families coming from more than 50 miles away, our Patient Family Housing Program provides affordable accommodations in a home-like environment.

A benefit of a prenatal diagnosis of a serious congenital heart defect is the opportunity to choose where to deliver and have your baby’s newborn heart surgery. Once you receive a prenatal diagnosis of a serious congenital heart defect, you should be cared for by a high-risk obstetrician (also called a maternal-fetal medicine, or MFM, doctor).

After birth, your baby may need specialized pediatric cardiology care at Boston Children’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). For this reason, we recommend you deliver at an obstetric hospital close to Boston Children’s (such as Brigham and Women’s Hospital or Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) so our team can be involved in coordination and smooth the process of your transfer to our CICU. For most types of fetal CHD, a mother can give birth vaginally at around 39 weeks’ gestation. Your high-risk OB will discuss the appropriate timing and mode of delivery. You should be cared for by your local obstetrician until you have your first clinic visit with your Boston MFM doctor and have a plan for care. Do not cancel your local obstetric appointments. Your local obstetrician and Boston MFM doctor may decide to share your care so that you do not have to travel to Boston for all of your appointments.

If you are traveling a long distance for delivery, we suggest relocating to Boston when you are about 36 weeks pregnant. Your high-risk obstetrician will make a delivery plan based upon your individual health and family needs. For many heart conditions, it is best to plan on being in Boston for about one month after delivery. Sometimes, you might have to stay longer.

Hospital family housing options book up quickly. Please make reservations as early in your pregnancy as possible. You can make housing reservations in person at the Hale Family Center for Families (located in lobby), or by calling 617-919-3450.

The comforts of home can feel far away when a family is staying in the hospital. This list of recommended items was created in collaboration with patient families.

After your baby is born, they will be transferred to the CICU. Learning about the CICU journey in advance can help you feel more comfortable and informed about what to expect. Download CICU guidelines.

We strive to support your baby's developmental progress by monitoring, detecting, and treating concerns as early as possible. Here are programs at Boston Children’s that support a young child’s development:

• The Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP): We know that children with heart disease are at greater risk for problems with learning, behavior, and development, and that families may experience increased stress. The CNP offers specific services to support you and your child, starting in the prenatal and newborn periods and extending throughout childhood. To learn more about CNP’s prenatal and newborn services or to schedule an appointment and verify insurance coverage, please call the CNP at 617-355-3401.
• Prenatal consult on neurodevelopment: Families who would like to support long-term development can start early. To learn more about how to support your child, we offer individualized neurodevelopmental consultations during the prenatal period where you will learn how to support your child’s development during pregnancy, while they are in the hospital, and after discharge. Available in-person to all families or virtually to families in Massachusetts at time of service.
• Prenatal virtual support hour: Families can learn more about supporting their child’s neurodevelopment and their family’s well-being by attending a prenatal support hour. During these group sessions, families can meet with a provider in a group setting to ask questions, discuss concerns, and learn more about preparing to welcome their baby. Available virtually to all families.
• Parental Stress Reduction Program: Expecting a child who may need surgery in infancy can be a stressful experience. In the Parental Stress Reduction Program, pregnant and early postpartum families work with providers to improve their well-being by building on strengths and developing effective coping strategies for managing stress. Available in-person to all families or virtually to families in Massachusetts or Vermont at time of service.
• Inpatient developmental support: If your infant has surgery at Boston Children’s, they will be seen by our inpatient team when they are in the CICU. They will work with you to best support your child's comfort and overall development in the hospital. Available inpatient to eligible families after an infant’s surgery.

If you planned to breastfeed your baby before you learned the fetal cardiac diagnosis, this plan does not need to change. If you were uncertain about your feeding choice, you can speak with lactation consultant about the extra benefits your milk can provide for your baby because of their additional medical needs. Breast milk provides many health benefits to a newborn baby and can help fight infection. It is an important part of a newborn’s healthcare, and only you can provide it. Even if your baby cannot eat right away, you can express your milk with a breast pump to save for later use. If you are interested in breast feeding or bottle feeding your baby pumped breast milk, we encourage you to meet with our lactation specialists prior to and after delivery.

We recognize that breastfeeding is important to families and the health of children. Lactation specialists work as part of the healthcare team to promote and support breastfeeding. Even if you haven’t yet delivered, it’s not too early to know how you can be supported.

Our child life specialists can help you prepare your other children for their new sibling and their heart condition. If you would like to speak with a child life specialist before giving birth, please reach out to Child Life Services at 617-355-6551, or email child.life@childrens.harvard.edu.