Prenatal Care

Nearly one third of women have some kind of pregnancy related complication. You need to know that if you do not get adequate prenatal care you run the risk that such complications may go undetected or may not be dealt with soon enough. Prenatal care is basically taking your baby for a medical checkup before it is born.

Statistics show that every year nearly one million American women deliver babies without receiving adequate medical attention. While many of these women and their children do fine, research show that babies born to mothers who received no prenatal care are three times more likely to be born at low birth weight and five times more likely to die, than those whose mothers received prenatal care.

These statistics are presented to help emphasize the importance of prenatal care.

Prenatal care is medical attention given to the pregnant woman and her developing baby. It also involves the mother's caring for herself by following her health care provider's advice, practicing good nutrition, getting plenty of rest, exercising sensibly, and avoiding things that could harm her or her baby.

The following information has been adapted from the websites listed at the bottom of the page.

The health care providers who  normally provide services to pregnant women are:

Taking Care of Yourself

For your baby's sake and yours, it is important to take especially good care of yourself during your pregnancy:

* Don’t drink alcohol.
* Don't smoke.
* Don't do drugs.
* Don't eat junk food.
* Don't take any medications without talking to your doctor.
* Do get plenty of rest.
* Do at healthy foods.
* Do exercise and keep active.

Check out our more detailed tips on pregnancy dos and don'ts.

The following has been adapted from the websites listed at the bottom of the page.

What is prenatal care?

Prenatal care is the care you get while you are pregnant. This care can be provided by a doctor, midwife or other health care professional.  The goal of prenatal care is to monitor the progress of a pregnancy and to identify potential problems before they become serious for either mom or baby.

All mothers-to-be benefit from prenatal care. Women who see a health care provider regularly during pregnancy have healthier babies, are less likely to deliver prematurely, and are less likely to have other serious problems related to pregnancy.  Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care.

A woman with a chronic medical condition or a high-risk pregnancy may have to see her health care provider more often. Make sure you go to all your prenatal care appointments, even if you're feeling fine.

What Happens at a Prenatal Care Visit?

During your first prenatal care visit, your provider will ask you a lot of questions and do some tests. Most of your other visits will be much shorter.

At the first visit your health care provider will:

During later prenatal visits your provider will:

Women in every state can get help to pay for medical care during their pregnancies. Programs give medical care, information, advice, and other services important for a healthy pregnancy.

To find out about the program in your state:

For more information:

National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC)
Phone Number: 1-800-994-9662

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Phone Number(s): (770) 488-7150, (888) 232-6789

Smart Moms, Healthy Babies
Phone Number: (734) 936-4000

March of Dimes
Phone Number(s): (914) 428-7100, (888) 663-4637

The Nemours Foundation
Phone Number: (302) 651-4046

Visit the link Child Welfare Agencies

For information please visit the link Prenatal Testing