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Pregnancy with
pre-existing medical conditions
Finding out that you’re expecting is one of the most exciting moments of your life! But when you have a pre-existing medical condition, that excitement can quickly turn to anxiousness, resulting in apprehension and fear. This pregnancy will be more than the average experience, and you know it. At Unity Maternal Fetal Medicine, we understand that pregnant women with pre-existing conditions require a whole new level of fetal medicine, and that’s precisely why we’re here.
With over 25 years of medical experience and a triple board-certified physician and perinatologist, we know a thing or two about high-risk pregnancies. Each patient and pregnancy is unique, so we’ll begin with a 360-degree assessment of you and your baby’s needs, then craft an individualized care plan to educate and guide you to the best possible outcome.
What We Do
High-risk pregnancy monitoring allows a healthcare specialist to monitor the fetus during a pregnancy that is considered high-risk. This monitoring service includes fetal monitoring, non-stress tests, biophysical profiles, and ultrasounds for fetal growth. This service will vary based on the condition of the pregnancy. If your pregnancy is complicated, you may need additional monitoring. Monitoring is not just about the technical aspects listed above. At Unity Maternal Fetal Medicine, Dr. Heather Stanley-Christian believes in supporting women comprehensively, including monitoring their overall well-being.
A prenatal evaluation is a checkup for women who are pregnant. This evaluation focuses on the health of you and your baby. During your assessment, your health care provider will offer fetal ultrasound, prenatal screening, and prenatal diagnosis. Dr. Heather Stanley-Christian provides prenatal evaluations at our practice in Winter Garden, Florida. If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant and high-risk, Dr. Stanley-Christian can help you through every step of your high-risk pregnancy.
Dr. Stanley-Christian is triple board certified (OB/GYN, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Clinical Genetics) and is committed to providing her patients with as much information as possible about their pregnancies. She is known for her kind demeanor and focuses on the overall wellbeing of those under her care.
Fetal ultrasound is an imaging technique that uses sound waves to produce a fetus’s image in the uterus. Fetal ultrasound images allow Dr. Heather Stanley-Christian to monitor your pregnancy, evaluate your baby’s growth and development, and assess possible problems or help confirm a diagnosis.
At Unity Maternal Fetal Medicine, we use General Electric’s Voluson E10 ultrasound machine to provide patients with a comprehensive fetal ultrasound. This state-of-the-art device has 2D, 3D, and 4D imaging capabilities, which helps Dr. Stanley-Christian monitor your baby’s health and identify mission-critical anomalies. This technology encompasses the most advanced imaging capabilities and allows our practice to give you confident answers much faster than with a standard device. Dr. Stanley-Christian uses the Voluson E10 regularly because it provides routine monitoring for high-risk pregnancies.
Fetal testing, or prenatal testing, involves the many tests and procedures that monitor both the mother and her baby’s health. Some fetal tests are done several times during your pregnancy at your prenatal care checkups. Other tests are taken at certain times during pregnancy or have specific problems that affect you and your baby’s health.
Some of the health conditions that screening tests check for include genetic and chromosomal conditions (i.e., cystic fibrosis, heart defects, and sickle cell disease) and congenital disabilities, which cause problems in your baby’s overall health, how the body works, or how the body develops. If certain health conditions, genetic disorders, or congenital disabilities run in your family, and you would like to schedule fetal testing, request a consultation with Dr. Heather Stanley-Christian.
Our expert team of gentle (yet honest) caregivers will educate and guide you through all aspects of preconception, conception, fetal care, and pregnancy —regardless of your health history or pregnancy risks— to achieve the best possible outcome for you and your baby. At Unity Maternal Fetal Medicine, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll be educated and taken care of by Dr. Heather Stanley-Christian, a triple board-certified physician with over 25 years of experience.
Specific genetic counseling relates to any parentally-inherited disorder that may impact the pregnancy or the future adult. Dr. Heather Stanley-Christian provides this service at Unity Maternal Fetal Medicine in Winter Garden, Florida. Not only is Dr. Stanley-Christian a board-certified OB/GYN and Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist, but she is also a board-certified geneticist. Many couples schedule genetic counseling with a counselor, but Dr. Stanley-Christian gives you the benefit of speaking with a medical professional who is more than a counselor.
Lifestyle guidance plays a vital role in contributing to a favorable pregnancy outcome. This service, provided by Dr. Heather Stanley-Christian, offers advice and information to help you have the safest possible pregnancy. This service covers anything in life that would require management for a high-risk pregnancy. If your pregnancy is high-risk due to obesity, Dr. Stanley-Christian will guide you on keeping you and your baby as healthy as possible.
