1. Am I Pregnant? Ways to Test for Pregnancies and Prevent Them if You Want to
2. Components of Prenatal Checkups
3. Resources to Improve Your Prenatal Care
4. Recommendations for Routine Prenatal Care
5. High Risk Pregnancies: Risk Factors and Preventative Measures
6. Disease Specific Genetic Screening
7. Most Commonly Asked Pregnancy Questions: Answered
8. Power in Numbers: Group Prenatal Care
9. "Take Your Vitamins" Nutrition During Pregnancy
Early, quality, and accessible prenatal care is incredibly important for a successful and healthy pregnancy. Prenatal appointments provide the opportunity for healthcare professionals, whether it be physicians or midwives, to monitor pregnancy, perform prenatal screening tests, discuss questions and concerns that women may have, including plans for delivery and infant feeding, and provide recommendations to promote a healthy pregnancy. According to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve Maternal Health, starting prenatal appointments in the second trimester instead of the first is associated with a higher risk of unhealthy behaviors and adverse outcomes, including low gestational weight gain, prenatal smoking, and pregnancy complications. In this project, we aimed to address barriers that prevent pregnant women from receiving early and adequate prenatal care, including 1) not knowing they are pregnant; 2) experiencing prior birth trauma; 3) being hesitant to receive prenatal care; and 4) systemic barriers to receiving care.
1) Increase the proportion of pregnant women who receive early and adequate prenatal care — MICH‑08
2) Reduce the proportion of unintended pregnancies — FP‑01
3) Reduce severe maternal complications identified during delivery hospitalizations — MICH‑05
4) Reduce maternal deaths — MICH‑04
5) Reduce the rate of infant deaths — MICH‑02
With the help of our dedicated community partners, we distributed over 300 physical copies of our prenatal care education newsletter to communities in New York and North Carolina.