Benefits of Quality Prenatal Care
by Micaela Rodriguez
6/1/2023
Did you know that: “Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care”? (Office on Women’s Health, 2021)
No Early Detection
If a pregnant woman does not get prenatal care she may miss the chance to find and treat any health problems with her baby before birth. Screenings that are commonly included in prenatal care help identify fetal problems such as birth defects, structural development problems and genetic conditions. Prenatal screenings can also detect placenta previa, which is when the placenta covers part of the opening of the mother’s cervix which can change how a baby is delivered (UMMS Health, 2020).
More Likely to Have Complications
Women are also more likely to have complications during pregnancy if they do not receive prenatal care. These complications can harm both mother and baby. (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, 2018). Through prenatal care visits, healthcare providers can detect conditions within mothers that could cause complications during their pregnancy (UMMS Health, 2020).
Conditions that providers often test for in their general assessments are:
These conditions can cause distress in a woman’s day-to-day life and the effects can be amplified when pregnant. Healthcare providers and mothers can work together to control these conditions and find the safest, most effective treatment to reduce complications during birth (U.S Department of Health and Human Services).
Benefits of Quality Prenatal Care
The World Health Organization recognizes that quality prenatal care can significantly reduce the risk of maternal mortality, making it a crucial factor to ensuring healthy outcomes for mothers and infants. It also ensures that the baby is growing and developing properly and allows caregivers a chance to openly talk to mothers about things they can do to give their unborn babies a healthy start to life (Office on Women’s Health, 2021).
Here are 5 benefits of quality prenatal care:
Quality prenatal care provides access to valuable information that can benefit a woman’s pregnancy through education and guidance. Healthcare providers can inform women of specific prenatal vitamins they can take, how to prevent infections, discuss safe medications, and discuss lifestyle choices that can ultimately make an impact on a mother and baby’s life. Without access to prenatal care, mothers may be unable to gain this information from a trusted source or could go her whole pregnancy without knowing additional information that could have benefited her body and her child.
Reasons Moms-To-Be Receive No Prenatal Care
Despite the benefits of prenatal care, nearly one-quarter of U.S. women do not receive timely or recommended prenatal care, often as the result of unequal access (National Conference of State Legislators, 2021).
Inadequate access to prenatal care can happen for a variety of reasons, including:
Addressing these barriers can help ensure that all pregnant women have access to the care they need to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
How The Vitamin Bridge Helps
The Vitamin Bridge is committed to addressing the disparity in access to prenatal care, especially among under-resourced moms-to-be. Through our prenatal vitamin program, we provide high-quality prenatal vitamins to thousands of expectant moms to help them have healthier pregnancies and healthier babies.
Our efforts have not only improved maternal and child health but have also contributed to reducing healthcare costs and improving overall community well-being.
Want to take part in helping more moms and babies receive prenatal vitamins? Donate today! Every $5 provides a 100-day supply of vitamins for one mom-to-be >>
No Early Detection
If a pregnant woman does not get prenatal care she may miss the chance to find and treat any health problems with her baby before birth. Screenings that are commonly included in prenatal care help identify fetal problems such as birth defects, structural development problems and genetic conditions. Prenatal screenings can also detect placenta previa, which is when the placenta covers part of the opening of the mother’s cervix which can change how a baby is delivered (UMMS Health, 2020).
More Likely to Have Complications
Women are also more likely to have complications during pregnancy if they do not receive prenatal care. These complications can harm both mother and baby. (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, 2018). Through prenatal care visits, healthcare providers can detect conditions within mothers that could cause complications during their pregnancy (UMMS Health, 2020).
Conditions that providers often test for in their general assessments are:
- Gestational Diabetes
- Preeclampsia
- Urinary Tract Infections
- Anemia
These conditions can cause distress in a woman’s day-to-day life and the effects can be amplified when pregnant. Healthcare providers and mothers can work together to control these conditions and find the safest, most effective treatment to reduce complications during birth (U.S Department of Health and Human Services).
Benefits of Quality Prenatal Care
The World Health Organization recognizes that quality prenatal care can significantly reduce the risk of maternal mortality, making it a crucial factor to ensuring healthy outcomes for mothers and infants. It also ensures that the baby is growing and developing properly and allows caregivers a chance to openly talk to mothers about things they can do to give their unborn babies a healthy start to life (Office on Women’s Health, 2021).
Here are 5 benefits of quality prenatal care:
- Early detection of potential health issues
- Better management of existing health conditions
- Guidance on healthy behaviors
- Emotional support
- Increased chance of healthy delivery and healthy baby
Quality prenatal care provides access to valuable information that can benefit a woman’s pregnancy through education and guidance. Healthcare providers can inform women of specific prenatal vitamins they can take, how to prevent infections, discuss safe medications, and discuss lifestyle choices that can ultimately make an impact on a mother and baby’s life. Without access to prenatal care, mothers may be unable to gain this information from a trusted source or could go her whole pregnancy without knowing additional information that could have benefited her body and her child.
Reasons Moms-To-Be Receive No Prenatal Care
Despite the benefits of prenatal care, nearly one-quarter of U.S. women do not receive timely or recommended prenatal care, often as the result of unequal access (National Conference of State Legislators, 2021).
Inadequate access to prenatal care can happen for a variety of reasons, including:
- financial barriers
- lack of transportation or availability
- language barriers
- cultural beliefs
Addressing these barriers can help ensure that all pregnant women have access to the care they need to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
How The Vitamin Bridge Helps
The Vitamin Bridge is committed to addressing the disparity in access to prenatal care, especially among under-resourced moms-to-be. Through our prenatal vitamin program, we provide high-quality prenatal vitamins to thousands of expectant moms to help them have healthier pregnancies and healthier babies.
Our efforts have not only improved maternal and child health but have also contributed to reducing healthcare costs and improving overall community well-being.
Want to take part in helping more moms and babies receive prenatal vitamins? Donate today! Every $5 provides a 100-day supply of vitamins for one mom-to-be >>
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Micaela is a graduate of The University of Texas at Arlington, with her degree in Public Health. She has always wanted to be involved with an organization that directly makes a difference in access to adequate maternal health care for disadvantaged populations.
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