Healthy Mom & Babies
Every pregnant woman wants to make sure that her baby is healthy. Getting prenatal care from your doctor as soon as possible is the first step you should take during your pregnancy. Prenatal care is the care you get from your provider, midwife or other healthcare professional before your baby is born. The goal of prenatal care is to monitor the progress of your pregnancy and to identify potential problems before they become serious.
As soon as you think you are pregnant, call your healthcare provider to find out when you should come in for your first prenatal care appointment. During your pregnancy, please make sure you attend all of your prenatal care appointments, even if you are feeling fine.
Tips on how to have a healthy pregnancy:
- March of Dimes: “Pregnancy & Newborn Health Education Center”
- New York State Department of Health: “Health Pregnancy Fact Sheet”
- Pregnancy & Baby Care
- NYS Women, Infants, Children (WIC) Program
- Take care of your Baby: What Everyone Can Do
- Pregnancy and Lead Poisoning
- Immunizations for 0-6 Year Olds
- NYC Early Intervention Program: Help Your Child Get a Great Start
- Pregnant Women: Oral Health Matters
- BabyCenter
- Healthy Mom / Healthy Baby Brochure English / Español
Keep in mind that breastfeeding has many benefits for new mothers and their babies. It provides infants with the vitamins and nutrients that help protect them from certain illnesses like ear infections and colds. It also helps strengthen the bond between mother and child.
To learn more about breastfeeding:
- Breastfeeding Resources
- Breastfeeding Positions
- Bureau of Maternal, Infant & Productive Health Brochure
- March of Dimes: “Breastfeeding: Strategies for Success”
Pregnancy is an exciting but overwhelming time – and you deserve some help. Healthfirst has a maternity care program called Healthy Mom/Healthy Baby where staff will be involved in your care and will follow up with you to make sure everything is going smoothly. To get more information about this program and receive useful materials about your pregnancy, enroll in this program, call the Healthfirst Medical Management Department at1-888-394-4327.
