High-risk Pregnancy and Obstetrics
Every pregnancy and delivery deserve exceptional care.
For mothers and babies who require a higher level of expertise, we have high-risk specialists with UofL Physicians.
Pregnancy may be considered high-risk if you have:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- A heart condition
- Multiple babies
- A number of other reasons (see full list here)
Our highly-trained team works together to give the mother and baby the best care possible. We have exceptional maternal-fetal specialists (doctors who specialize in high-risk pregnancies) leading a team that is ready and able to handle any situation.
In addition to our maternal-fetal specialists, our team includes:
- Surgeons
- Cardiologists (heart doctors)
- Trauma specialists
- Endocrinologists (doctors specializing in diabetes)
Specially-equipped Facility
The Center for Women & Infants is specially equipped to care for mothers and infants involved in a high-risk delivery. This includes:
- Two specialized delivery suites for Cesarean birth (C-section).
- Seven delivery suites to serve mothers and babies with special needs, including all ICU-level equipment and a specialized monitoring system.
- For mothers in pre-term labor or who have other serious medical conditions and need to be hospitalized while pregnant, we have a specialized antenatal (before birth) unit.
- We also house a Level III NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). This unit provides care for babies born too early and those that are too sick to be cared for in couplet care.
Regional Clinical Care
Our maternal-fetal medicine group is a recognized referral center for high-risk pregnancies in Central and Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. This initiative allows us to share our expertise with other health facilities in Kentucky.
The partnership provides Kentucky hospitals that may not specialize in high-risk pregnancies an opportunity to collaborate with our top maternal-fetal medicine doctors. This ensures women in Kentucky are receiving the best possible care.
NICU
In FY 2024, there were 341 infants admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Our Level III NICU has 24 beds. We are committed to providing the very best for your baby. We have the latest equipment and knowledgeable staff to care for babies born too early and those that are too sick to be cared for in couplet care.
Neonatal specialists who round at UofL Hospital participate in a state-supported high-risk infant follow-up program. The doctors follow the health of premature babies up to eight years to help support the pediatrician’s primary care.
We also plan an annual NICU Reunion for families.
Thank you to our partner, Kosair for Kids, for funding life-saving equipment and supporting our families.
Visiting Your Baby
The NICU has open visitation for parents. You are welcome to visit anytime, 24 hours a day. Other people may visit with you. Children under age 14 are only allowed if they are a sibling. Visitation may be limited during flu and RSV season, to protect your baby.
See Your Baby Anytime, From Anywhere
The arrival of a new baby is an exciting time for families. But it can be stressful for parents when they need to leave the hospital without their baby – whether it’s for the night or an extended period of time.
Our NICU now offers NICVIEW, a live video monitoring system. Parents, siblings and other relatives can log in to a secure system to watch the baby’s progress.
