Established in 2011, The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital is a national referral center and an international leader in fetal diagnosis, fetal intervention and comprehensive fetal care for infants with congenital anomalies or genetic abnormalities. In collaboration with pediatric sub-specialists at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, the affiliated team offers patients a complete range of prenatal testing and fetal interventions with a coordinated program for mother and child before, during and after birth.
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Find valuable information to help ensure you and your baby receive the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art care.
Our patient education video series is a resource providing families with comprehensive information about fetal complications.
Learn more about the innovative research and numerous clinical trials at The Fetal Center.
Learn more
April 28, 2021
Hailee Nail learned her baby had spina bifida on Aug. 13, 2020, when she saw her obstetrician in Tulsa, Okla., for her 20-week anatomy scan. “My OB/GYN told me that it would require surgery and gave me the names of several centers, but he wanted me to go to Houston,” she says.
July 7, 2020
When their unborn son was diagnosed with a rare and potentially life-threatening congenital birth defect, Carrie and Jordan Farrar knew they needed to find the experts, and fast. Fortunately, the couple from Tyler, Texas, was referred to The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. T...
June 30, 2020
Aryah plays basketball. She cheerleads. She rides horses. She jumps on the trampoline and loves water slides. “She’s ahead of the curve for her age,” says Courtney. But that wasn’t always the case. Before Aryah was born, Courtney and her husband, Robert, learned that their baby had congenital dia...
April 3, 2020
Christine and Blake Dugger learned they were pregnant with twins in December, 2017. “The entire pregnancy was a surprise,” Christine Dugger says. “We have two older daughters, who were six and three at the time, and we were very much not planning on having more children, but whe...
February 6, 2019
When Brittany Pineda learned she was pregnant with her fourth child, she knew she would go to The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston for pregnancy care.
August 7, 2018
When Natalie’s unborn baby daughter, Mila Grace, was diagnosed with spina bifida in utero, Natalie and her husband, Kevin, were stunned. After a routine ultrasound done just a week earlier, her obstetrician suspected that one of Mila Grace’s feet was clubbed and referred Natalie to a ...
January 8, 2018
Courtney and Robert both remember the feeling of pure joy in January 2016 when finding out they were pregnant with their second child – a baby girl – after three years of trying. Their happiness soon gave way to worry, though, when Courtney’s obstetrician said her ultrasound sca...
January 7, 2018
Already parents of two, the Agees knew this pregnancy was going to be a little more complicated than the others—but they didn’t yet realize it would mean a move back to Texas. It was when the Agees’ identical twins were 23 weeks along that the couple discovered they were sufferi...
January 7, 2018
Until Christmas Day in 2010, DaVonne Christopher’s first pregnancy had been rather unremarkable. But that evening, during dinner, she went into labor, giving birth to son Eli the following day. Though no complications occurred during the delivery itself, the newborn was quickly whisked away by me...
January 2, 2018
For many years, Dr. Mary Austin could count on one hand the people who knew. There was her close friend through middle school, who helped her pee by pushing on her lower abdomen. Years later, during her surgical training at Vanderbilt University, she confided in a mentor. Her husband knew, of cou...
November 27, 2017
When Iris finally got her wish, an ultrasound revealed not one, but two heartbeats. Twins. Identical twins, in fact. Iris and her husband were elated. But the ultrasound indicated a potential problem, and her doctor referred her to The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.&n...
October 13, 2017
Picture the bounciest, bubbliest five-year-old you can imagine. Her songs and dance moves come straight from Beyoncé. She loves bright colors and runs to the mirror to check every outfit. Her goal is to be a superstar. And she is a child who was born with spina bifida, one whose immediate future ...
March 31, 2017
For some parents, a newborn’s cry can cause distress. But for Marlen and Kevin, hearing their daughter Grace’s first cry brought relief and joy. Grace was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a condition that occurs during fetal development that can lead to severe respiratory and ot...
July 15, 2016
As Sabrina sat at her 16-week checkup, she was expecting her appointment to be ordinary. However, after receiving her ultrasound, she found out her baby girl was diagnosed with a birth defect known as gastroschisis. Shocked and scared about her baby’s health, her obstetrician referred her to The ...
February 10, 2016
Jayden and Luke. Two-year-old identical twin boys. They run and wrestle, giggle and converse in their own shared lingo – jibber-jabber only they understand. But Jayden is taller, more robust. Luke wears the same size clothes as the boys’ younger brother Cooper. Each of the twins in his own way is...
October 16, 2014
Kelly and her husband, Chad, count themselves very lucky. The diagnosis of an open neural tube defect, or myelomeningocele, led them on a journey of education, referral, consultations and, ultimately, to open fetal surgery for spina bifida repair. Spina bifida – a major birth defect involving the...
December 17, 2013
When Johanna Quezada-Ventura discovered she was pregnant with identical twins, she was both shocked and excited. As a mother of a 4-year-old daughter, she anticipated yet another uncomplicated pregnancy similar to her first, and didn’t think too much about the risk factors associated with i...
December 17, 2013
At my 22-week ultrasound, the baby’s positioning made it difficult to get a clear image of the baby’s organs; however, we could clearly see that we were expecting a boy. Weeks later, at my 34-week ultrasound, my physician requested another ultrasound be performed so that better images...
October 26, 2012
Faith’s story begins before she was born. But unlike others, her history was complicated by a prenatal diagnosis of myelomeningocele – spina bifida – at the age of 20 weeks. A complex and permanently disabling birth defect, spina bifida involves incomplete development of a porti...
When you contact The Fetal Center, you will be in touch with a dedicated coordinator who will walk you through the process step-by-step and help you to understand every aspect of your care.
The Fetal Center at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital
UT Professional Building
6410 Fannin, Suite 210
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: (832) 325-7288
Toll free: (888) 818-4818
Fax: (713) 383-1464
Email: thefetalcenter@memorialhermann.org
To contact The Fetal Center at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, please fill out the form below.
Located within the Texas Medical Center, The Fetal Center is affiliated with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, and UT Physicians.
Please consider making a donation to The Fetal Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. No matter which area of the mission you support, your gift will make a lasting impact on patients and their families.
Donate Now