One of the critical things you can do to help you and your baby stay healthy during your pregnancy is to visit your health care provider for prenatal testing and prenatal care. Prenatal care has been proven over and over again to save the lives of women and their babies. Prenatal care is basically taking your baby for a medical checkup before he/she is even born.

Importance of Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is very important and should be started as soon as possible. It can assure you that you and your baby are as healthy as possible. Statistics show that babies born to mothers who received no prenatal care are 3 times more likely to be born with a low birth weight and 5 times more likely to die, than those whose mothers received prenatal care. Chances are you and your baby will be fine and not have any unusual problems. However, just in case, prenatal tests can help identify health problems that could endanger you and your child.

Health care providers who normally provide prenatal care to pregnant women are doctors who specialize in women's health care (gynecologists), doctors who specialize in pregnancy and childbirth (obstetricians), doctors who provide a range of services for patients of all ages (family practitioners), and certified nurse-midwife (an advanced practice nurse specializing in women's health care needs, including prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care for "normal" pregnancies).

A typical prenatal care schedule for a low-risk woman with a normally progressing pregnancy is approximately every 4 weeks for months 1-7, every 2-3 weeks for months 7-8, and once a week after that. A woman with a chronic medical condition or a high-risk pregnancy may be advised to see her health care provider more often.

During your initial prenatal visit, your provider will ask you a lot of questions, conduct a physical examination, have you give a blood and urine sample, and may conduct several other preliminary tests. Your health care provider will probably suggest you take prenatal vitamins and may suggest you eat or avoid certain foods. They may also suggest one or more prenatal tests. The aim of these tests is to detect birth defects or any other potential problems. There are both invasive and non-invasive methods of diagnosing a problem before birth. One of the most common tests involve an ultrasound. For information please visit the links Prenatal Testing.

Do not let lack of funds interfere with seeking prenatal care. A woman in every state can get help to pay for medical care during her pregnancy (visit pregnancy support groups). You can also call 1-800-311-BABY (1-800-311-2229). This toll-free telephone number will connect you to the Health Department in your area code.

Until you start prenatal care, and even after you have begun, keep taking care of yourself and:

* 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.

For more information on prenatal care, visit:

National Women's Health Information Center
March of Dimes
Child Welfare Agencies

If you are pregnant and don't know where to turn to actually start prenatal care or you don't know how you can afford it, call your local hospital and you can always contact us at Adoption Services (phone: 1-800-943-0400) so we can help you.