Why Choose to Deliver at CHOP's Special Delivery Unit
The Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) allows mother and child to be simultaneously cared for at one location by a team of leading clinicians. From initial consultation at the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT) through diagnosis, prenatal monitoring, treatment before or after birth, delivery and beyond, our team focuses on meeting the needs of you and your baby in one location.
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Complete care for mother and baby
We never forget that in the SDU, we are caring for two patients: your baby and you. While your newborn is receiving the world’s most advanced medical, surgical and nursing care, you’ll experience an equally high standard of delivery and postpartum care in the same location so that you can stay by your baby’s side.
The SDU was designed with you and your family in mind, from the delivery and surgical facilities and infant stabilization rooms to the family areas.
Our psychosocial support team was created to make sure you are supported both physically and emotionally at every stage. A dedicated clinical psychologist, social workers and Child Life specialists are an integral part of the care you receive in the SDU.
Excellence across every pediatric specialty
See What Sets Us Apart
Delivering in CHOP’s Special Delivery Unit means that your baby has immediate access to the nation’s leading doctors and nurses in every pediatric specialty, both before and after birth.
- CHOP is consistently ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of the nation’s Best Children’s Hospitals.
- The Wood Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment is one of the most experienced teams in the world when it comes to caring for babies with serious and life-threatening birth defects. Conditions we see daily, other physicians may only see one or two cases in a career.
- Babies born with congenital anomalies (both cardiac and non-cardiac) are often very fragile after birth and need advanced care. Our multidisciplinary Newborn Stabilization and Resuscitation Team provides expert delivery room care for these high-risk babies. This team is critical to the SDU, evaluating every detail of a baby’s health immediately after birth as they transition to the environment outside the mother’s womb.
- CHOP’s Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) is ranked among the best in the nation for newborn care. The N/IICU team, including a unique Neonatal Surgical Team, is experienced in caring for babies who have had fetal surgery, babies born with birth defects, and babies who are critically ill or need immediate postnatal care.
- The Hospital’s dedicated Fetal Heart Program offers expert diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart anomalies, the most common type of birth defect. After birth, babies are treated in the Cardiac Center, one of the world’s top pediatric heart programs.
Continuum of care
Your care doesn't end after delivery. CHOP offers a variety of multidisciplinary follow-up programs that specialize in the long-term care of children born with complex birth defects and any related conditions or complications. Specialists work together to manage your child’s care and ensure your child has access to every treatment or service they may need as they grow up.
You also have access to a team of full-time prenatal genetic counselors dedicated only to fetal patients, making us one of the most robust teams in a fetal center in the nation. These specialists collaborate with families to facilitate genetic testing and provide an answer to their prenatal diagnosis. They follow families regardless of whether you continue care at CHOP, and can help you navigate your next pregnancy.
Advancing care through research
We are constantly researching new ways to improve care, treatment and outcomes for these fragile babies and their families. Since the SDU opened in June 2008, our studies have shown improved outcomes for fragile babies requiring highly complex care before or immediately after birth.
