Did you know...
- Every year nearly one million American women deliver babies without receiving adequate medical attention.
- 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.
- If you are pregnant, programs in your State can help you have a healthy baby. These programs offer medical care, support and advice for pregnant women, information about health insurance and other services you and your baby may need.
For more information about prenatal services from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services click here.
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN: ZIKA VIRUS
Zika virus disease (Zika) is a disease caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, as well as other severe fetal brain defects. Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections.
Learn more at the CDC website: CDC - Zika Virus Information
Gov. Butch Otter signed into law a bill intended to provide education for young mothers about a potentially dangerous virus, cytomegalovirus.
Text4baby is the first mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health through text messaging. Text4baby is a free service of the nonprofit National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) and was created in collaboration with Founding Sponsor Johnson & Johnson, and founding partners Voxiva, The Wireless Foundation, and Grey Healthcare Group (a WPP company). To learn more about Text4baby, visit their web site here.
WIC helps families by providing:
- Checks to buy health supplemental foods from local grocery stores ( authorized WIC vendors)
- Nutrition education
- Help finding healthcare and other community services
- Breastfeeding information and support
More information can be found here.
The Office on Women's Health provides national leadership and coordination to improve the health of women and girls through policy, education and model programs. Click here for information from The Office on Women's Health.