Pregnancy
The best benefit of a healthy pregnancy is having a healthy baby. As soon as you know you are pregnant, go see a health care provider.
This might be a doctor, nurse-midwife or nurse practitioner:
- Early prenatal care gives you the best start possible. Make your first visit before you reach 12 weeks of pregnancy.
- See your health care provider regularly.
- Your provider will check on you and your baby and make sure everything is fine.
Doctors and midwives can find health problems sooner when they see mothers regularly. Early treatment can cure many problems and prevent others.
Prenatal care can help you:
- Feel less worried or tired.
- Prevent health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
Women who get prenatal care have healthier babies and are less likely to give birth prematurely (before the baby’s due date).
BLUEBELLEbeginnings is a program for MDwise members who are pregnant. MDwise holds Bluebelle’s Baby Shower for pregnant members across the state. We also provide pregnancy information and resources.
Liv App
As Indiana’s health app dedicated to all Hoosiers of child-bearing age, let Liv help answer your questions.
With a map of state resources, a baby development tracker, peer-reviewed education and more, Liv is an excellent resource for Indiana mothers and their families. Available in both English and Spanish, Liv is designed to supply support whether a woman is planning, pregnant or parenting.
Search “Liv Pregnancy” on your app store or visit www.askliv.com.
FSSA and MDwise helps pregnant members who use opioids
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) offers the Indiana Promise Program to pregnant and postpartum members who use or have used opioids in the past.
The free program offers support while the mother is pregnant through 12 months after the end of pregnancy. Mothers who join will be given prenatal and postpartum care. They will get support for physical and mental health, and treatment for opioid use disorder.
The program is available to pregnant members in the state of Indiana. To be eligible participants must meet the following criteria:
- Pregnant or within the 90 days of the end of pregnancy.
- Uses opioids or has in the past.
- Be eligible for or receive Medicaid.
To learn more, visit https://www.in.gov/fssa/promise/
Indiana Pregnancy Promise Flyer (English)
Indiana Pregnancy Promise Flyer (Spanish)
Protecting You and Your Baby
Do not smoke or drink alcohol or use drugs while pregnant. When you smoke, drink or take drugs, you pass harmful chemicals to your baby.
You may know people who smoked, drank or did drugs when they were pregnant and their babies seem okay, but it’s a gamble. Many problems for the baby are not seen until he or she gets older.
Quitting is the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby.
It is safe, and very important, for a woman who is pregnant during flu season to receive the inactivated flu vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets the flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization. Vaccinating a new mother against pertussis (whooping cough) reduces the risk to her infant too. Also, a woman who is not immune to measles, mumps and rubella and/or varicella (chickenpox) should be vaccinated before leaving the hospital.
Did you know that your baby gets disease immunity (protection) from you during pregnancy? But it is temporary protection and only for the diseases that you are immune to. Protect your new baby an learn about infant immunization. Talk to your healthcare provider today.
MDwise is here to help you and your baby through your pregnancy.
MDwise has both nurses and social workers available to assist you during regular business hours.
Our 24 hour NURSEon-call service makes a nurse available to you 24 hours a day should you have a question or need some health care advice.
Call 1-800-356-1204 or 317-630-2831 in the Indianapolis area. Choose option #4 for NURSEon-call.
Forty Weeks of Pregnancy
Forty weeks of pregnancy is best. A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks. Your baby grows a lot in the last weeks of pregnancy. The baby gets stronger. Important lung and brain development happens.
With some pregnancies the doctor may tell you that you need to have a scheduled delivery. A scheduled delivery is when you and your doctor pick the day to deliver your baby.
Here is what the experts say about scheduled deliveries:
- It is best to wait for natural labor. As long as there is not a medical reason for you to deliver before your due date you should wait.
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that scheduled deliveries should not take place before 39 weeks into your pregnancy unless there is a medical reason.
- The closer your baby is born to his or her due date, the healthier he or she should be.
text4baby
There are a lot of things to remember when you're pregnant or a new mom. Text4baby makes it easy to get important information, and it's free.
Where can I find more information?
Learn more about high blood pressure at the following websites:
View and print these helpful pregnancy handouts
Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy
Quick Tips for Healthy Pregnancy Habits
Pregnancy: Your Nutrition
Pregnancy: Vegetarian Diet
Nutrition During Pregnancy
Healthy Pregnancy: Weight Gain
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes and Eating
High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
Pregnancy: How to Manage Depression
Newborn Care: What to Expect
Materials were compiled from the following sources: Indiana Perinatal Network, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov