Title: What is prenatal care and why is it important? | NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Headings: What is prenatal care and why is it important?
What is prenatal care and why is it important?
Pre-Pregnancy Care
Prenatal Care
Citations

Content: With regular prenatal care women can: Reduce the risk of pregnancy complications. Following a healthy, safe diet; getting regular exercise as advised by a health care provider; and avoiding exposure to potentially harmful substances such as lead and radiation can help reduce the risk for problems during pregnancy and promote fetal health and development. 4 Controlling existing conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, is important to prevent serious complications and their effects. 5
Reduce the fetus's and infant's risk for complications. Tobacco smoke and alcohol use during pregnancy have been shown to increase the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. 6 Alcohol use also increases the risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which can cause a variety of problems such as abnormal facial features, having a small head, poor coordination, poor memory, intellectual disability, and problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones. 7 According to one recent study supported by the NIH, these and other long-term problems can occur even with low levels of prenatal alcohol exposure.