Perinatologist

A perinatologist is an obstetrician who has specialist training to treat a pregnant mother and an unborn fetus where, for whatever reason, there is a greater concern about more complications than with a normal birth. Usually, this is concerned with the period from the 20th until the 28th week of gestation, at which time birth takes place, after which the mother and baby are treated by a neonatologist.

Expectant mothers are urged to contact perinatologists as soon as they feel that there may be problems with the birth, and perinatologists are then involved in checking scans of the fetus for abnormalities in the neck and also in the development of the spine, chest, abdominal wall, diaphragm, and body organs such as the heart, stomach, kidneys, and bladder, as well as the umbilical cord, placenta, and the volume of amniotic fluid. Major hospitals around the world often have a perinatology department or have access to perinatologists whom they call upon for help with difficult pregnancies and births. Some are known as perinatal centers, with others having different names such as the Fetal Treatment Center at the University of California, San Francisco.