Palliative Care

Some conditions that are found prenatally may have a very poor prognosis. Sometimes there are conditions that cannot be treated, are life-threatening, or life-limiting right from birth.

UR Medicine's Maternal-Fetal Medicine team and the fetal care coordinator are involved with the majority of these complex pregnancies in the Finger Lakes region. Some of these conditions can have serious implications for the pregnant person’s health, prenatal care, and delivery, and it is important to follow these pregnancies closely.

Before birth, our team will work with you to help determine your goals of care for you and your baby, and help to determine how we can best support you, your baby, and your family.

Our fetal care coordinator is also a genetic counselor and a perinatal grief counselor, and will work closely with you to help support and answer questions during this difficult and uncertain time.

UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital has a dedicated Perinatal Palliative Care team. This team will be involved after delivery to provide psychosocial support and to work with the medical team to provide recommendations for management of pain, nausea, anxiety, and other symptoms.

Prenatally, if your child is expected to have one of these serious medical conditions, you will meet with Palliative Care as part of your consultation with the Perinatal Supportive Care Clinic to help provide information, guidance, and support to you and your family.