Information on Prenatal Care and The March of Dimes from Cigna!

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This post is brought to you by Cigna!

As a mom to 3 beautiful babies I know just how important prenatal care can be for mom and baby. 2 of my pregnancies ended up being high risk and if it wasn’t for good prenatal care they’re something that could have been harmful to my unborn babies. I’m thankful that I had proper prenatal care that caught my Cholestatis, got the treatment and care I needed, and delivered my beautiful, healthy babies. Cigna offered to share some prenatal care information and I am thrilled to share it with you since proper prenatal care is something that I encourage all woman to get.

Provided below are prenatal care tips to help women and babies stay healthy during pregnancy, courtesy of Dr. Mark Laitos, Cigna’s senior medical executive for Colorado.

Prenatal Care Tips:

• Weeks four to 28: one visit per month (every four weeks)

• Weeks 28 to 36: two visits per month (every two to three weeks)

• Weeks 36 to birth: one visit per week

If you have an ongoing medical condition, or have been told you have a “high-risk” pregnancy, you may have to see your doctor more often.

Your Prenatal Visit:

At each prenatal care visit, your doctor will:

• Check your weight, blood pressure, hands,feet and face for swelling.

• Measure your belly to see how the baby is growing.

• Listen for the baby’s heartbeat after the 12^thweek of pregnancy.

• Feel your abdomen to assess the baby’s position.

• Do any tests that are needed, including blood tests or an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to show a picture of your baby on a screen.

Prenatal visits also give you a good opportunity to talk with your doctor and share any questions or concerns. Because so much is going on in your life right now, it might be a good idea to write down your thoughts and bring the list with you so you don’t forget and don’t feel a question or concern is silly. If there is something you want to know or that is bothering you, ask your Dr.

Another major problem I had with my 2 high risk pregnancies was have premature babies. Because of the seriousness of the disease I had to deliver at 36 weeks and with that can come some risks, since they were born premature, but thankfully they were both born healthy. The March of Dimes plays a big role in helping to prevent babies being born prematurely and providing parents with helpful information if their baby was born premature. Each year they hold the March for Babies, which is coming to Colorado on April 26th, to raise  money which supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies.

According to the March of Dimes, prematurity is the leading killer of newborns in America. In fact, every year, more than half a million babies are born too soon, 8,000 of them in Colorado and preterm birth can happen to any pregnant woman, which is why it’s important women are educated about prenatal care. To help prevent premature birth and improve the health of babies, the March of Dimes hosts March for Babies walks across the country with Cigna being a national sponsor of the March of Dimes and the March for Babies Walks for the past 20 years.

You can find more information & register here: http://www.marchofdimes.com/colorado/events/10300_3135303733.html and this year, the March of Dimes will host a new event, Run for Babies. Run for Babies is a chip-timed & measured 5K through the Denver City Park. For more information, you can visit http://marchofdimes.com/colorado.