Nebraska Medicine is opening a series of clinics that pair pregnancy specialists with experts in heart health, diabetes care and newborn medicine – all in one visit.

Having a baby is one of the most important events in a person’s life. For families facing a high-risk pregnancy, it can also be one of the most stressful. 

Collaboration clinics make things easier. Instead of visiting different doctors at separate locations, families can meet with all the specialists they need in one place. This saves time and helps everyone work together.

“Our goal is simple,” says maternal-fetal medicine specialist Sarosh Rana, MD. “Healthier mothers. Healthier babies. Everywhere.”

Extra care for newborns 

The Fetal and Neonatal Care Coordination Clinic meets one Monday afternoon each month at the Olson Center for Women’s Health. Patients whose pregnancies carry a higher chance of NICU care can learn:

• What to expect in the NICU.
• What care options are available for mother and baby.
• How your ultrasounds and other visits fit into a care plan.
• Ways to take part in research studies.

“Having access to the right experts at the right time can make all the difference,” says maternal-fetal medicine specialist Neil Hamill, MD. “It helps mothers understand what to expect and reassures them that a highly specialized team is ready to care for their baby from the very beginning.”

Nic Torbert, DO, a neonatologist with Children’s Nebraska, says, “The early collaboration fosters more seamless, family-centered care for some of our most vulnerable patients.”

Diabetes care

Maternal-Fetal Medicine partners with endocrinology experts to offer a weekly clinic for patients with pre-pregnancy diabetes.

“During pregnancy, the placenta releases hormones that make the mother’s body less responsive to insulin, which can cause blood sugar levels to rise,” says endocrinologist Lynn Mack, MD. “When blood sugar is not well managed, it can affect a baby’s growth and development.”

Dr. Mack adds that it also raises the risk of high blood pressure and early delivery. With close monitoring, doctors can help keep blood sugar in a safe, healthy range.

“We’ve been working closely with our Endocrinology partners for decades,” Dr. Hamill says. “This effort builds on that established partnership to provide the best care possible for our expectant mothers.”

Eligible patients meet on Thursday afternoons at the Olson Center for Women’s Health. 

Heart health 

The cardio-obstetrics clinic is a collaboration between heart and vascular specialists and Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of maternal death,” says advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist Christina Dunbar Matos, DO. “We work closely with our OB colleagues to monitor patients before, during and after pregnancy.”

The clinic is expected to launch in August. Dr. Dunbar Matos says her team will work with patients, their OB providers and maternal-fetal medicine specialists to provide the best care to both mother and baby.

More to come

The Maternal-Fetal Medicine team is also working to launch a collaboration clinic with Anesthesiology. Details will be released when more information is available.

The goal of each clinic – current and future – is the same. “When we coordinate and provide risk-appropriate care for expectant and postpartum mothers, we can make a real difference in the lives of our patients,” Dr. Rana says.