Perinatal Palliative Care Program at Advocate Children's Hospital - Park Ridge

Learning during your pregnancy that your baby has a life-limiting condition brings many feelings and concerns. At Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge, we are here - to listen, provide guidance and support, honor your wishes and ensure that you and your baby receive quality care.

Our perinatal palliative care program features an interdisciplinary health care team, neonatologists, pediatric physicians, advance practice nurses, social workers, chaplains, child life specialists and child birth educators. Together, we work with families from the time of diagnosis of their baby's medical condition, through the remainder of the pregnancy, labor and delivery, and after birth.

The perinatal palliative care program's goals include:

• Honoring the relationship and love between parents and their child.
• Learning parents' hopes and care preferences throughout the pregnancy, labor and delivery, and after birth.
• Helping parents and families understand their baby's medical condition and treatment options.
• Assisting in making decisions about baby's care.
• Co-creating care plans that capture family preferences, values and hopes for the mother's care during labor and delivery (birth plan) and baby's care after birth (neonatal advance care plan).
• Communicating the family's care goals and preferences to all health team members.
• Offering opportunities to treasure time and make memories with baby before and after birth.
• Providing expert care to promote comfort and quality of life for baby and family.
• Respecting parents' values, religious and cultural traditions throughout baby's living and dying.
• Providing compassionate end-of-life care and bereavement support.
• Coordinating care with community pediatric palliative care services for babies who stabilize after birth and are able to go home with their parents.
• Collaborating with all medical caregivers to provide seamless, compassionate care.
• Providing support resources and follow-up care after discharge from the hospital.

To reach our perinatal palliative care team, contact Kathie Kobler, MS, APN, PCNS-BC, CHPPN at 847.723.7911 or kathie.kobler@advocatehealth.com.