High-Risk Pregnancy

If your pregnancy is considered high-risk, or if you have complications, we are here for you. Hoag’s team of national leaders is here to support you with unparalleled advanced maternity care, including:

• the latest medical and genetic tests

• maternal-fetal medicine doctors who work with your own obstetrician to tailor treatment for you

• specialized treatment units for women and newborns

• a state-of-the-art antepartum unit

• a dedicated OB Emergency Department and OB triage unit

• specialized motherhood education programs

• neonatology care at both of our hospitals, including a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Newport Beach and a special care nursery at Hoag Irvine.

Click here for more detail on Hoag's high-risk pregnancy care and support services.

Antepartum Unit and Women's Surgical Services

Hoag’s unique antepartum unit on the fourth floor of the Sue & Bill Gross Women’s Pavilion at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach is a 14-bed haven for high-risk obstetric patients who require inpatient services. These patients receive specialized care on a dedicated unit with state-of-the-art equipment and specially trained nurses. Care in the antepartum unit includes daily rounds by a clinical pharmacist, a gestational diabetes educator, and a perinatologist, in addition to the patient’s private obstetrician.

Comfortable and quiet, this unit has immediate access to operating rooms in the event of an emergency. The 36 additional beds on this floor are used for gynecologic oncology and surgical patients.

Labor, Delivery, Recovery (LDR), OB Triage and Obstetric Emergency Department (OB ED)

Hoag’s 18 private labor, delivery, and recovery (LDR) suites on the fifth floor of the Sue & Bill Gross Women’s Pavilion at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach provide comfort during labor and quickly transform into fully equipped delivery rooms for childbirth. The LDR unit has three C-section rooms and is staffed around the clock with anesthesiologists.

Adjacent to the LDR unit is a dedicated three-bed OB triage area and four-room OB Emergency Department serving pregnant patients who are 16 weeks gestation or more and who arrive through the emergency department or by physician referral.

OB triage patients who are full-term labor patients presenting with signs and symptoms of labor are evaluated by an LDR nurse. OB Emergency Department patients are evaluated by their own obstetrician or by one of the 24/7 board-certified OB Hospitalists and treated according to standardized protocols.

OB Hospitalists are highly skilled in the management of complex obstetric situations, ensuring safe and timely care for mothers and babies. In addition to staffing the OB Emergency Department, they are experienced in handling high-risk conditions such as twin and preterm deliveries, external cephalic version for breech presentation, emergency cerclage, and the management of placenta accreta spectrum. Their expertise helps optimize outcomes while avoiding unnecessary interventions whenever possible. The three key advantages to having an OB Hospitalist are:

1. Availability: The OB Hospitalist is immediately available throughout the day and night to examine patients, evaluate the progress of the labor, react to laboratory abnormalities, and provide a safe delivery. If an emergency occurs, the OB Hospitalist is already on the scene, ready to respond with lifesaving intervention. The presence of a doctor full-time in Labor & Delivery improves patient safety.

2. Highly Skilled: OB Hospitalists provide medical expertise and optimal patient care. A skilled hospital-based obstetrician is trained in a variety of delivery techniques that may help patients avoid unnecessary C-sections.

3. Communication: OB Hospitalists are also familiar with the hospital’s medical and surgical consultants, discharge planners, social workers, clergy, and other support professionals, allowing them to help coordinate and expedite care.

4. Patient Satisfaction: Patient surveys have shown high levels of satisfaction with OB Hospitalist care. Patients are often willing to trade familiarity for availability and expertise. The OB Hospitalist ensures that a complete report is provided to the patient’s physician regarding everything that occurred during the hospital stay.

OB Hospitalists and nurse educators conduct twice-monthly neonatal emergency drills using “pregnant Noelle” and “newborn Hal,” fully functional patient simulators that mimic real physiological responses.

Click here to download Hoag's patient guide to Antepartum Testing

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists

Hoag’s nationally recognized maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists are experts in high-risk pregnancy, caring for women with preexisting health conditions, pregnancy complications, or issues affecting the pregnancy itself.

Hoag offers two MFM clinics, one in Newport Beach and one in Irvine. Both locations include a Perinatal Nurse Navigator program to help expectant mothers with complex medical conditions coordinate the specialized care, planning, and services needed before delivery.

Meet the team of maternal-fetal medicine specialists who are here for you, should you need them.