"Keeping Babies Healthy: TRICARE Promotes Prenatal Care "


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Keeping Babies Healthy: TRICARE Promotes Prenatal Care

Sharon Foster, TRICARE Management Activity
2010-09-29

TRICARE - September 13, 2010 Every parent wants their baby to be healthy. For this to happen, parents need to know how to create a healthy environment even before the baby is born. TRICARE understands, while exciting, this is a crucial moment. During the nine-months of pregnancy, important development occurs that can affect a baby for the rest of his or her life.

It is no secret that unexpected difficulties and challenges can occur during pregnancy. Certain risk factors present at birth can cause real problems for a newborn. These factors may include: exposure to environmental dangers (toxic chemicals, drugs), preexisting maternal conditions (heart disease, diabetes and hypertension), maternal age and pregnancy complications.

September is National Infant Mortality Awareness Month. During this month, TRICARE reminds expecting mothers to participate in prenatal care and reach out for support if needed. During prenatal care, a health care provider may discuss nutrition and physical activity, what to expect during the birth process and basic skills for caring for an infant during prenatal care.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services’, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, 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.

Prenatal care is important. Potential problems that may endanger the baby may be identified and corrected before the baby is born.

There are several lifestyle habits expecting mothers can change to reduce their risk of certain problems during pregnancy. They include:

Getting at least 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, through food and or supplements.
Getting proper immunizations for certain diseases that could harm a developing fetus (such as chicken pox or rubella) before becoming pregnant. TRICARE covers age-appropriate doses of vaccines as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Having a healthy weight and getting regular physical activity can help both the mother and the fetus during pregnancy. >li> Avoiding smoking, alcohol or drug use is also important. In addition, certain medications and exposures in the environment can be harmful to your fetus and it is important to avoid them during pregnancy.

No one knows exactly why women who get early and regular prenatal care have healthier pregnancies and healthier babies. But TRICARE does know it works. TRICARE covers maternity care, including prenatal care, delivery and postpartum care. How you access TRICARE’s maternity care depends on which health plan option you are using. Go to http://tricare.mil/MaternityCare for a detail explanation of benefits or contact your regional health care contractor.