Programs and Services in Fetal and Neonatal Care

The specialists at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provide expert neonatal and fetal care. We offer treatment for a range of medical problems, whether your newborn has a critical illness or we detect a fetal abnormality. Our experts use advanced treatments in a family-centered, compassionate setting.

Multidisciplinary Fetal and Neonatal Care

Our programs and services include:

• Division of Neonatology
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for Babies
• Fetal-Maternal Center
• Newborn Follow-up Program
• Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU)
• Small Baby Unit

Division of Neonatology

Neonatologists provide advanced care for newborns with critical illnesses or birth complications. Our experts collaborate with multiple specialists to treat even the most complex neonatal conditions. Learn more about Neonatal Care.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for Babies

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a treatment for babies who have trouble breathing on their own. ECMO uses a machine to do the work of the heart and lungs outside the body.

At Children’s Hospital, our ECMO Program is a Center of Excellence — Gold Level. This certification recognizes that the babies we care for receive the highest-quality, most advanced ECMO treatment available. Discover more about ECMO for babies.

Fetal-Maternal Center

Sometimes, prenatal screenings show possible genetic fetal abnormalities or other problems. In these cases, women come to the Fetal-Maternal Center for care.

The Fetal-Maternal Center at CHLA is one of the most comprehensive fetal-maternal medicine centers in the country. Our nurse care managers walk patients through every diagnostic and treatment step and coordinate all subspecialty appointments. Patients in our program have access to virtually any specialists they may need, including fetal surgeons, fetal cardiologists and more. Discover more about the Fetal-Maternal Center.

Newborn Follow-up Program

Babies who experience critical illness as newborns may have a higher risk of growth or developmental problems. Our Newborn Follow-up Program provides comprehensive newborn care for patients with a higher risk of these challenges.

Our team of specialists offers a variety of services not available elsewhere. We are one of the only programs in the country with an expert nutritionist who supports newborn feeding. This specialized care leads directly to improved patient outcomes. Learn more about the Newborn Follow-up Program.

Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU)

The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit offers world-class care for critically ill infants. We provide comprehensive care for all neonatal complications, not only prematurity.

Our NICCU has achieved Level IV accreditation, the highest available for neonatal intensive care units. The NICCU specialists provide exceptional care with a compassionate, family-centered approach. Find out more about the Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU).

Small Baby Unit

We deliver gold-standard therapies and around-the-clock monitoring to CHLA’s smallest patients. Services are for babies born very preterm (between 28 and 32 weeks) and extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks). Patient- and family-centered services include multidisciplinary care, advanced treatments, support and follow-up care. Learn more about our Small Baby Unit.

Diagnosis and Treatment

We diagnose and treat a comprehensive range of fetal and neonatal conditions. Find out more about diagnosis and treatment in fetal and neonatal care.

CHLA Placenta Biobank

This special biorepository helps scientists learn more about the placenta and develop new treatments to improve the function of this critical organ. Eligible mothers can choose to donate placental tissue, umbilical cord tissue and cord blood to the Biobank-helping future moms have healthier pregnancies. Find out more about the CHLA Placenta Biobank.