- UTHealth Houston Fetal Center
- The Maternal Care Program
The Maternal Care Program at UTHealth Houston Fetal Center
The Maternal Care Program’s clinician team believes that the best way for a pregnant mother to take care of her family is to first take care of herself. While other members of the Fetal Center team are providing complex care for your baby, we remain focused on your medical, physical, and emotional needs. Our entire team is committed to supporting you and your family throughout your pregnancy, from initial evaluation and diagnosis through the postpartum period.
The Maternal Care Program was created to ensure that the care we provide our mothers is unfragmented and offered in a single location. All mothers referred to The Fetal Center are under the care of an experienced high-risk maternal-fetal medicine specialist who leads a team dedicated to providing the highest standard of care. The close-knit team works together efficiently and effectively.
Comprehensive Pregnancy Care
From the moment your obstetrician discovers an abnormality through ultrasound or genetic testing, the dynamic of your pregnancy changes. Our Maternal Care Program, an integral part of The Fetal Center, offers comprehensive, streamlined prenatal care to mothers and their babies with congenital or genetic anomalies that result in high-risk pregnancies.
Mothers transferred to the Maternal Care Program are referred by their obstetricians and evaluated by a high-risk maternal-fetal specialist. From evaluation throughout the duration of your pregnancy, you will receive prenatal care exclusively within The Fetal Center.
Our team will review your medical, surgical, and prior pregnancy history to identify any medical conditions that need special attention. All physician appointments occur at the same time as your ultrasounds or pediatric consultations. Laboratory tests and physical exams are performed within our clinic at The Fetal Center, and if you experience any symptoms, we address them immediately. We also provide all medication prescriptions and prepare any documents you may need for medical leave from your employer. For your convenience, we perform assessments for symptoms of preterm labor, preeclampsia, and diabetes in our clinic when possible, rather than in the hospital. We screen all patients for depression, anxiety, and provide treatment within The Fetal Center. We keep your primary obstetrician informed about your condition, your baby’s health, , and all the care that we provided.
We also provide frequent and intense fetal surveillance as needed for mothers who choose to undergo innovative in utero fetal surgery or spend their pregnancy preparing for postnatal treatments for their newborns. Mothers who undergo successful surgeries return to their referring obstetricians for care. If you need specialized pediatric care that other facilities do not provide, you may choose to stay with us at The Fetal Center and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
About the Maternal Care Program Team
Our team works together to provide patients with the highest quality of care and an outstanding patient experience. We address each patient’s needs promptly and support them and their families during what can be one of the most stressful and challenging times in their lives. We know you and your family have unique needs, and we design your care to meet them.
Jerrie Refuerzo, MD
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Jerrie Refuerzo, MD, a board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist, leads the Maternal Care Program team, provides intensive prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies, and coordinates all deliveries. Refuerzo aligns her patient’s clinical management with recommendations made by fetal interventionalists and pediatric specialists at The Fetal Center to create a cohesive birth plan. She follows her patients postpartum as they maneuver through a harrowing time in their lives. She joined The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston in 2019. Refuerzo has received multiple recognitions for her research and clinical expertise.
Alexandra Patch, BSN, RN
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Alex Patch, BSN, RN, provides full support for patients and their families. She schedules labor and delivery, and arranges NICU tours at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. She also schedules lactation consults, orders breast pumps, completes any work documents, and coordinates maternal referrals to adult specialists, such as cardiology, if needed. Most importantly, she leads the Journey Program team for The Fetal Center.
Christine Serewis-Pond, PA-C
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Christine Serewis-Pond, PA-C, works side by side with Jerrie Refuerzo, MD, to provide quality maternal care. She covers office visits when Refuerzo is out or attending a delivery. She rounds with Refuerzo on the antepartum and postpartum units and assists in deliveries. She also helps with prescription refills, laboratory results, and addresses patient concerns throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period.
Angelica Giron, CMA
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Angelica Giron keeps things moving in the office. She takes patient vital signs, administers vaccinations, generates laboratory slips, and coordinates specimen collections. She also schedules follow-up appointments after prenatal visits.
Supportive Services
The Journey Program
The Journey Program at The Fetal Center supports women and their families when a pregnancy takes an unexpected course. Our interdisciplinary team is comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, Child Life specialists, art therapists and music therapists. We are here to walk with patients on each step of their journey with their baby. We know that our patients may not have expected to be at The Fetal Center. Alex Patch, nurse coordinator for the Maternal Care Program, enrolls patients in the Journey Program and arranges tours of labor and delivery, and the NICU.
Ask your clinical care coordinator about possible resources available for travel and lodging. The Fetal Center partners with Ronald McDonald House and several hotels within close proximity to our office and affiliated hospital.
For More Information
The Maternal Care Program office number is (713) 486-6532. Afterhours and on weekends, please call (832) 325-7288 to speak with an on call physician at UTHealth Houston Fetal Center.
UTHealth Houston Fetal Center
6410 Fannin St, Ste 210
Houston, TX 77030-3004
