Why Choose to Deliver at CHOP's Special Delivery Unit

Why Choose to Deliver at CHOP's Special Delivery Unit

The Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is truly special. It is the world's first birth unit in a children's hospital. It allows mother and child to be cared for in the same location by a team of leading experts. From your first consultation at our Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT) through diagnosis, prenatal monitoring, treatment before or after birth, delivery and the first critical hours afterward, our team focuses on meeting the needs of both you and your baby.

  • Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit: A Tour

    Naomi's mom: When you're carrying a baby with a birth defect, you know the delivery is going to be different and very special. It's incredibly important you and your baby are surrounded by a team of experts in delivery and in providing the highly specialized care your baby will need.

    That's how it was for me. I delivered my daughter, Naomi, in the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, or CHOP.

    The Special Delivery Unit, or SDU, is located within CHOP's Richard D. Wood Junior Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, one of the first fetal centers in the world. The SDU is the world's first birthing facility within a free standing children's hospital, designed just for pregnant women carrying babies with known birth defects.

    The dedicated staff in the SDU work together as a unified team. They have the most experience in the world delivering babies with prenatally diagnosed birth defects, such as spina bifida, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital heart disease, and many others. Their skill is just part of the story. They're also very warm and supportive. I know this from experience during that incredibly challenging time, they made me and my family feel at ease and part of the CHOP family too.

    Now, let's take a look at the space together. Everything about the unit has been designed with the wellbeing of parents and babies in mind. Rooms are comfortable and spacious with ample space for partners and family members to visit. You are always steps away from an expert team of labor and delivery nurses and doctors.

    When it comes time for delivery, you will have peace of mind knowing you are in the very best hands. Since the SDU opened in 2008, it's team of high risk obstetricians and specially trained nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives have delivered more than 5,000 babies. If you're delivering by C-section, you'll be taken to one of the state-of-the-art operating rooms just down the hall.

    Most of the time your partner can be with you. Mothers delivering vaginally can stay in one of the labor and delivery rooms within the unit. Your partner can be with you. If you are having fetal surgery, there is an operating room designed just for these procedures. The unit also has a quiet area where family members can wait.

    The SDU team does a wonderful job preparing you for care, so you know what to expect. Well before my scheduled C-section, they explained every detail of what the C-section would be like and answered any and every question I had.

    Deliveries are managed by a specialized team focused on you and your baby. They will be in constant communication with a team of specially trained neonatologists and nurses, called the neonatal surgical team. When your baby is born, they are immediately passed through a connecting window to the neonatal surgical team in the infant stabilization room. There, your baby will receive the specialized care they need, whatever that may be.

    Your baby will then be brought to you for the first meeting before going to the newborn infant intensive care unit or cardiac intensive care unit nearby.

    I'll never forget this joyous moment shared with the team.

    After the delivery, you'll move to one of the unit's spacious postpartum rooms where the obstetrical team will oversee your recovery.

    Lactation specialists will be there to help with pumping, breastfeeding, and milk storage. The psychosocial team will also be there to support the emotional and spiritual needs of you and your family before and after birth. They will help you feel ready to transition out of the hospital, taking into account all of your baby's needs.

    For me, one of the most important things about delivering in the SDU is that I knew my baby would be in one of the very best intensive care units surrounded by some of the best pediatric specialists in the world. The NICU has separate area for babies who may need surgery, where they receive the highly specialized care they need, and bedside cameras allow you to get a realtime view of your baby, day or night on your phone or computer. When you're recovered after the delivery, you'll be able to visit your baby.

    Words can't express what this moment meant. It wouldn't have been possible without the incredible caring team in the Special Delivery Unit at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I will never forget the experience of delivering in the SDU and especially the care providers.

    They are like family. My husband and I talk about our nurses, funny things they've said, lessons they taught us, and the support they gave us almost daily, and we talk about them to Naomi. They are so much a part of our journey to parenthood.

    Say "hi!"
Transcript Transcript

Complete care for mother and baby

In the SDU, we care for two patients: your baby and you. While your newborn receives 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. The delivery rooms, surgical facilities and infant stabilization rooms all have thoughtful features designed to provide the best experience possible. Family waiting areas were also created with your comfort in mind.

Learning about your baby’s diagnosis can be mentally and emotionally hard. Every member of your SDU team puts their heart and soul into helping your family through this difficult experience. Our psychosocial support team is dedicated to supporting you both physically and emotionally at every stage. This team includes a clinical psychologist, social workers and child life specialists. They will be an integral part of the care you receive in the SDU.

Excellence across every pediatric specialty

When you deliver in our Special Delivery Unit, your baby will have immediate access to the best:

  • The nation’s leading doctors and nurses, who can provide all the support your baby needs, both before and after birth.
  • A hospital 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, which offers one of the most experienced teams in the world. When it comes to caring for babies with serious and life-threatening birth defects, we are among the best. We see these conditions daily, while other physicians may only see one or two cases in a career.
  • Babies born with birth defects are often very fragile. They may need specialized care after birth. Our Newborn Stabilization and Resuscitation Team provides expert delivery room care for these high-risk babies. This team is critical to the SDU. It is one of the most experienced teams in the world when it comes to caring for babies with serious and life-threatening conditions. Immediately after a baby is born in the SDU, this team carefully evaluates every detail of the baby’s health. They give babies born in the SDU the best possible care in the precious first hour after birth. Watch this video about the "golden hour" to learn how CHOP supports infants with congenital anomalies during the critical first hour after birth.
  • Our Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) is one of the biggest and best in the nation. We use the most advanced technology to provide the best care possible for very sick babies. The N/IICU team is prepared for babies born with birth defects as well as those who have had fetal surgery. Our unique Neonatal Surgical Team comprises a dedicated group of clinicians devoted to caring for babies who are critically ill or need immediate postnatal care.
  • Our dedicated Fetal Heart Program offers expert diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart anomalies. This is the most common type of birth defect. After birth, babies are treated in CHOP's Cardiac Center, one of the world’s top pediatric heart programs.

See What Sets Us Apart

Clinicians and families share what makes the Wood Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment the best place for prenatal diagnosis, fetal care and fetal surgery.

Specially designed facilities

Everything in the Special Delivery Unit — from the artwork to the room design — has been designed with the health and well-being of you and your baby in mind.

The SDU features:

  • Two high-tech operating rooms equipped for fetal surgery and C-section deliveries
  • Comfortable labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms (15 in total) where you can remain throughout your hospital stay
  • Infant stabilization rooms connected to the operating rooms and delivery suites, where the Newborn Stabilization and Resuscitation Team is ready to assist your baby immediately after birth
  • Full delivery services from our highly experienced team of obstetricians, anesthesiologists, midwives and obstetric nurses
  • Comfortable private space for families
  • Closeness to our pediatric surgical facilities, the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit, and the Evelyn and Daniel M. Tabas Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, part of our world-renowned Cardiac Center

Learn more about what to expect when you deliver your baby in the SDU.

Continuum of care

Our support for you and your family doesn't end after delivery. CHOP offers many specialized follow-up programs to support your child's long-term care needs. Our specialists work together to support your child’s health and make sure 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. These specialists work with families to provide genetic testing and answers to questions about a prenatal diagnosis. They will support your family even if you do not continue care at CHOP. They can also help you make decisions about 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 babies who need highly complex care before or immediately after birth.