Prenatal Health

Do's and Don'ts for a Healthy Pregnancy

9 Months to Get Ready... You Can Make a Difference (Washington Department of Health, January 2005)

This manual covers each trimester (first, second and third) step by step. It gives information on a variety of topics from prenatal nutrition, effects of drugs and alcohol on babies and common discomforts. It also provides information about labor and vaginal/caesarian births and how to care for both mom and baby after baby arrives.

• First Trimester, Second Trimester, Third Trimester
• Before the Baby is Born
• The Usual Discomforts
• Food Guide Pyramid
• Make Every Bite Count
• Effects of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs on Your Baby
• Labor and Vaginal Birth
• Cesarean Birth (C-Section)
• After the Baby is Born

Birth Defect Prevention. Check out the March of Dimes website for more information.

Health

• Give Your Baby a Healthy Start(Washington Department of Health Publication 961-191)
• Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (Coalition of Washington). This website has information regarding labor, birth and postpartum depression including:
  • Making a birth plan
  • Getting prepared
  • Pain control and comfort during labor. Each method has advantages and disadvantages.
    • Natural childbirth
    • Local injection
    • Epidural
    • Spinal
    • General anesthesia
  • Giving birth
  • What to expect after delivery
  • Postpartum depression
    

Prenatal Nutrition

• Give Your Baby a Healthy Start (Washington Department of Health Pub 961-191)
• Washington State WIC Program.
  Through the WIC program, a breastfeeding mother may receive FREE milk, cheese, eggs, juice, dry beans or peanut butter, cereal, carrots and tuna fish until her baby is one year old.