Pregnancy
A great joy is coming. |
Whether you are planning to have a baby or are already pregnant, there is information to make sure mom and baby are healthy. Step one: see a doctor or midwife. Even if you feel well, hidden health issues may threaten the health of your baby. An early visit can rule out any such issues or treat them before they do harm. Are you looking for someone to take care of you during your pregnancy? You can find a doctor or midwife here. Do you need health insurance? In New York State NO woman has to go without health insurance. It is available to pay for prenatal care, delivery, and health care for a baby. You can find a doctor or midwife who will help you sign up, or you can call (585) 613-7662 for help. There are support services that can help you. Services range from helping find furniture for the baby to helping with anxiety and depression. We can find someone to come to your home or connect you to a group of other women like yourself. We can find a service or program that fits your needs. Check out our Healthy Start Centers, or our Resource Directory. Do you want to learn how your baby is growing? See week-by-week growth with details of what is happening inside you. A fetus (the baby in the womb) is affected by her mother’s health and actions. Learn how to make sure that it is a healthy environment. Have you heard about TEXT4BABY?Pregnant women, parents or caregivers with children up to a year old can sign up for FREE text messages by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411. Free SMS text messages will arrive three times each week. The messages will be timed to due date or baby’s date of birth up to a year old. For details, go to www.text4baby.org. Premature BirthBabies who are born prematurely (before 37 weeks) are not finished developing. While many babies born early do thrive, many do not. Prematurity is the leading cause of infant death. It is also the leading cause of life-long disorders such as cerebral palsy, blindness, and deafness. Rates of premature delivery have fallen nationwide. But the United States still has one of the highest rates of premature birth in the world. It is 12%. As a result, the March of Dimes gives the United States a “D” on its annual Prematurity Report Card. New York State also gets a “D”. The national 2010 goal is 7.6%. Monroe County is better than the state as a whole, but is just below the national goal. However, within the City of Rochester, the rate is 10.7%. It is 11.8% among African Americans. It is 11.2% among Latinas. We do not have all the answers to the causes of prematurity, but scientists list four common reasons:
Also, some mothers and doctors have chosen to induce labor or conduct a C-section before 39 weeks. This is against the best medical practice, but it is not illegal. It may be that the increase in the survival rate of preterm babies has misled people to think that there is no danger for a baby born at 37 or 38 weeks. However, research is very clear that every week prior to 39 weeks counts. The rates of infant deaths and birth defects are directly related to how early the baby is born. If at all possible, wait until at least 39 weeks before delivery. Online Resource Directories |
