Commonwealth Perinatal Services

For more than 20 years, our maternal-fetal medicine physicians and dedicated staff at Commonwealth Perinatal Services have been committed to caring for women with high-risk pregnancies in Virginia. Part of the HCA Virginia Physicians network, we provide a range of prenatal services, in addition to perinatal consultations, at several locations including Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Williamsburg.

For patients who have high-risk health issues or may need more than routine care, our dedicated team is here. We will determine the appropriate treatment and work closely with your obstetrician throughout your pregnancy to provide comprehensive, compassionate perinatal care.

For more information about our perinatal services at Commonwealth Perinatal Services, call (804) 281-5540.

Advanced perinatal care in Virginia

Our dedicated team—including maternal-fetal medicine physicians, genetic counselors, nurses and ultrasonographers—is here to provide quality, compassionate care during your pregnancy. If you are at risk for certain pregnancy complications, your obstetrician will request a consultation prior to, or during, your pregnancy with one of our obstetrician gynecologists (Ob/Gyns).

Services we offer

Our specialized physicians are experienced in diagnosing and treating women who are currently experiencing, or may experience, pregnancy complications. Our goal is to ensure you receive the extra care you deserve during your pregnancy.

Our services include:

• Gestational diabetes counseling—Gestational diabetes, diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, is one of the most common pregnancy complications. Our doctors work with mothers to treat and minimize symptoms of gestational diabetes.
• Perinatal consultations—During a perinatal consultation, perinatal specialists and Ob/Gyns will evaluate the mother and the fetus. They will determine if there are factors that may indicate a high-risk pregnancy and will create a care plan.
• Preconception counseling—Similar to a perinatal consultation, during preconception counseling, doctors evaluate the likelihood of a mother having a high-risk pregnancy before pregnancy occurs. This helps women make informed decisions about childbirth.
• Prenatal testing—We offer sonographic screening and genetic testing to determine if the fetus is experiencing any birth defects, such as:
  • Cleft lip
  • Congenital birth defects
  • Down syndrome (trisomy 21)
  • Spina bifida
  • Edwards' syndrome (trisomy 18)
• Genetic Counseling—For patients with a family history of genetic abnormalities or diseases, we offer genetic counseling and genetic testing. Genetic testing usually refers to DNA analysis to identify changes in gene sequence or expression levels. Genetic testing is performs for three reasons:
  • Confirmational diagnosis of a symptomatic individual
  • Presymptomatic testing for estimating risk of developing disease
  • Prenatal screening and diagnosis
  • Newborn screening
  • Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis
  • Carrier screening
• TeleMFM—Our telemed technology allows high-risk patients to receive a consultation with one of our physicians or genetic counselors without physically coming in to see us.

Conditions we treat

We care for women with high-risk conditions that include:

• Twins or triplets
• Premature labor or a history of premature labor or delivery
• Preeclampsia
• Concerns due to higher body weight and/or obesity
• Maternal age of 35 or greater
• Chronic hypertension
• Diabetes
• Types 1 or 2 or gestational
• Short or weakened cervix (cerclage)
• Abnormalities of the placenta (placenta accreta, placenta previa, abruption placentae)
• Pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, anemia, bleeding disorders, Crohn's disease, heart disease, Lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis
• Infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B or C, Zika, and other viruses
• Drug dependence
• Suspected birth defects
• Family history of genetic disease or birth defects
• Uterine fibroids

Meet our perinatal nurse navigators

Nurse Navigator at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital

Heather Thorn is a dedicated Perinatal Nurse Navigator at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital with 23 years of clinical expertise in women's health including high-risk obstetrics, postpartum couplet care, and gynecologic surgery. She is a graduate of Bon Secours Memorial School of Nursing and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Chamberlain University. Heather is committed to supporting mothers and families through complex pregnancies by providing education, advocacy, and compassionate, patient-centered care. Her approach combines clinical expertise with empathy, ensuring each patient feels supported, informed, and confident throughout their journey to motherhood.

For more information you can email Ms. Thorn or call her at (804) 200-7534.

Nurse Navigator at Johnston Willis Hospital, Chippenham Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center

Katie Leighton is a Perinatal Nurse Navigator at Johnston Willis Hospital, Chippenham Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center with 15 years experience in Women's Health care, including Labor & Delivery, Postpartum, Nursery and Perinatal Services. Her goal is to provide high quality, compassionate care. Katie is a passionate advocate for her patients, helping to coordinate services for high-risk obstetrical patients to include education, resources, and continued support throughout the pregnancy and immediate postpartum period.

For more information you can email Ms. Leighton directly or call her at (804) 483-6347.

Perinatal navigators care for parents and babies by ensuring they are getting the necessary support, education and ease of the patient journey. Perinatal navigators offer assistance to pregnant women who have been identified as high-risk, either because of a patient issue or fetal issue, to coordinate specialist appointments and provide support for high-risk diagnoses. Their service includes:

• Enhancing patient outcomes and experiences
• Partnering with physicians to achieve the best outcomes for patients
• Providing emotional support to the patient, family and caregivers
• Improving access and use of HCA Healthcare and community-partnered resources
• Advocating for the patient's voice in the treatment plan development

Assessment

By providing physicians and patients confidence in our services, comfort in complicated and potentially traumatic times and coordination of disparate specialists, we improve patient and physician satisfaction. Specific examples of perinatal navigator services are:

• Developing trust with physicians and patients through multidisciplinary care coordination
• Assisting in educating patients about their diagnosis so they can make informed decisions
• Coordinating with the hospital to ensure readiness for the patient's arrival
• Providing support before, during, and after delivery
• Facilitating conversations to introduce services and to understand patient/family communication preferences
• Arranging tours and specialist appointments
• Familiarizing the internal team with patients through regular multi-disciplinary rounds
• Offering regular touchpoints with patients to answer questions and concerns
• Answering questions or concerns about delivery
• Following up after delivery with specialists or other needed resource

Learn how perinatal nurse navigators bring peace of mind