Prenatal Care

If you or a family member is pregnant, concerned about finances and need additional support, you may qualify for Healthy Beginnings Plus (HBP).

HBP, is a program of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. The program’s mission is to provide mothers and babies with quality maternity care throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. It is a known fact that mothers who receive appropriate healthcare during their pregnancies have stronger, healthier babies.

The Medical Assistance guidelines for pregnant women are higher than the income guidelines for the general population, so you may not realize that you are eligible for the HBP program. To participate in the Doylestown Health program, you must live in Bucks, Montgomery or Philadelphia County.

Healthy Beginnings Plus team has extensive experience caring for women and babies. The maternity care and services available include:

• Board-certified OB/GYN physicians who will be available for your care not only during office visits, but are on-call 24/7 and will be there for labor, birth and postpartum
• Registered nurses coordinate your care, provide one-on-one education and are available for any questions Monday through Friday
• Nutrition counseling by a Doylestown Health registered dietician
• Social worker on site for each office visit
• Referrals to area agencies such as: Pennsylvania’s Women, Infants & Children Nutrition Program (WIC); Lenape Valley Foundation; Maternity Care Coalition; Aldie Counseling Center; smoking cessation classes
• Free access to all childbirth and parenting educational programs offered through Doylestown Health’s "Path to Parenthood"
• Access to Doylestown Health’s Level II Intensive Care Nursery staffed by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia neonatologists (CHOP) and the Della Penna Pediatric Center at Doylestown Health

For more information about Healthy Beginnings Plus or to schedule an appointment, please call 215-345-2400.

Our Doylestown Health Prenatal Testing Center provides testing and evaluation services using state of the art technology to determine the health of mom and baby prior to birth. Our services for high-risk pregnancies are provided on-site by an experienced maternal fetal medicine specialist (perinatologist).

Appointment Scheduling

For general questions and appointments, call 215-345-2423. A physician's order is required for all testing.

Please note that children are not allowed in the ultrasound rooms and non-stress test rooms in the Prenatal Testing Center.

The Team

Perinatologists

Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) in both Maternal-Fetal Medicine and OB/GYN

Sonographers

Highly qualified Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (RDMS) credentialed by The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS)

Perinatologists and Sonographers are certified by the Nuchal Translucency Quality Review Program (NTQR) to perform Nuchal Translucency Ultrasounds

Registered Nurses

Our BSN prepared registered nurses have many years of experience in Labor and Delivery, fetal monitoring and venipuncture

Fetal Diagnostic Services

First Trimester Testing

• Viability Exam
  Appointment time: approximately 30 minutes per baby

  • Basic ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and gestational age of the baby
• Nuchal Translucency Ultrasound Screening
  Appointment time: approximately 30-60 minutes per baby

  • This ultrasound is performed between 11 and 13 weeks
  • Nuchal translucency (NT) measures amount of fluid behind the baby’s neck
  • The nuchal translucency measurement screens for baby’s risk of various conditions such as Down syndrome, trisomy 13 and 18
  • During this ultrasound the baby is also evaluated for any major anatomical anomalies such as congenital heart defects
  • This test is usually done in conjunction with one of the screening blood tests
• Sequential Screen
  A two-part maternal blood test that screens for the risk of a baby being born with Down syndrome, trisomy 18, and open neural tube defects (ONTDs)

  • The first part can be performed between 11 weeks and 13 weeks, 6 days gestation along with the NT measurement
  • The second part can be performed between 15 and 22 weeks of gestation
  • This test gives 2 screening risk results; one with the 1st blood draw for Down syndrome and Trisomy 18 risk and a result with the completion of the 2nd blood draw for ONTDs such as Spina Bifida
• Integrated Screen
  A two-part maternal blood test that screens for the risk of a baby being born with Down syndrome, trisomy 18, and open neural tube defects (ONTDs)

  • The first part can be performed between 11 weeks and 13 weeks, 6 days gestation along with the NT measurement
  • The second part can be performed between 15 and 22 weeks, 6 days of gestation
  • This test gives one screening risk result at the completion of the 2nd blood draw for Down syndrome, Trisomy 18 and ONTDs such as Spina Bifida
• Cell Free DNA (cfDNA)
  Also known as Noninvasive Prenatal Screening (NIPT), is a maternal blood test to screen for certain chromosomal abnormalities in a fetus

  • DNA from the mother and fetus is extracted from a maternal blood sample and screened for the increased chance of specific chromosomal problems, such as Down syndrome, trisomy 13, trisomy 18 and more
  • This screening can also provide information about fetal gender
• Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
  Appointment time: approximately 60 minutes

  • A prenatal test in which a sample of chorionic villi is removed from the placenta for testing
  • Can reveal whether a baby has a chromosomal condition, such as Down syndrome, as well as other genetic conditions
  • Performed between 11 and 13 weeks using ultrasound guidance
  • Patients must meet with a genetic counselor prior to this appointment

Second and Third Trimester Testing

• Amniocentesis
  Appointment time: approximately 60 minutes

  • A procedure in which amniotic fluid is removed from the uterus to test for certain conditions, such as Down syndrome, other chromosomal abnormalities, other genetic conditions and spina bifida
  • Performed after 16 weeks gestation using ultrasound guidance
  • Patients must meet with a genetic counselor prior to this appointment
• Cervical Length and Transvaginal Ultrasound
  Appointment time: approximately 30 minutes

  • Measurement of the cervical length with transvaginal ultrasound if there is risk of preterm labor or if there is a history of cervical surgery
  • Performed at approximately 16 to 28 weeks.
• Anatomy Ultrasound
  Appointment time: approximately 60 minutes per baby

  • Obtains measurements and ultrasound images of the baby, including the heart, brain, spine and abdomen
  • Performed at approximately 20 weeks
• Targeted Level II Anatomy Ultrasound
  Appointment time: approximately 60 minutes per baby

  • Detailed measurements and ultrasound images of the baby, including the heart, brain, spine and abdomen. Sometimes all of the images necessary cannot be obtained and the patient may be asked to return in a week or two
  • Performed at approximately 20 weeks
• Basic or Growth Ultrasound
  Appointment time: approximately 30 minutes per baby

  • Ordered routinely at different times and for various reasons during a pregnancy
  • Assesses the baby’s size or estimated fetal weight; measurements of the head, leg and abdomen are taken and plotted on a graph to help determine whether the fetus is average, larger or smaller in size for their gestational age
• Doppler Studies
  • In certain cases, Doppler flow studies will be used to assess fetal well-being and may be done in conjunction with other exams
  • Color Doppler is used to aid in the diagnosis of Placenta Accreta

Prenatal Testing Services

• Non-stress Test
  Appointment time: approximately 30- 60 minutes per baby in conjunction with amniotic fluid index (AFI) and/or BPP

  • A non-stress test is a common prenatal test used to assess fetal and placental wellbeing
  • Baby's heart rate is monitored, using an external fetal monitor, to see how it responds to the baby's movements
  • The term "non-stress" refers to the fact that nothing is done to place stress on the baby during the test
  • This test is ordered for high-risk mothers on a weekly or biweekly basis and begins at 32 weeks gestation
• Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI)
  • AFI measures the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus and is another tool to assess fetal and placental wellbeing
• Biophysical Profile (BPP)
  Appointment time: approximately 30 minutes

  • BPP provides information about fetal well-being, through ultrasound, by assessing fetal breathing, fetal movement, fetal tone and amniotic fluid measurement