Title: Increased Infant Mortality Due to Lack of Prenatal Care
Headings: Increased Infant Mortality Due to Lack of Prenatal Care
Increased Infant Mortality Due to Lack of Prenatal Care
How does prenatal care decrease the risk of infant mortality?
Increased infant mortality due to lack of prenatal care
Infant mortality and prenatal care study

Content: The percentage of births where the mother received late or no prenatal care decreased by more than a third, from six to four percent, between 1989 and 2003. African American, Hispanic and Native American mothers are still more than twice as likely as white mothers to receive either late or no prenatal care. How does prenatal care decrease the risk of infant mortality? Prenatal care benefits both the mother and infant. During prenatal visits, physicians can monitor the health of the mother including her risk for hypertension and gestational diabetes and the health of the growing fetus. Additional value comes from the education that a health care provider may provide including: nutritional and exercise advice in relation to weight gain
Immunizations
Abstaining from drugs and alcohol
Benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and infant
Preparation for the emotional challenges and risk of postpartum depression that can accompany the birth of an infant
Increased infant mortality due to lack of prenatal care
Mothers who receive late prenatal care are more likely to have babies with health problems. Mothers who do not receive any prenatal care are three times as likely to give birth to a low-weight baby and their baby has an infant mortality rate five times that of infants whose mother’s received prenatal care beginning before the third trimester. Adequacy of prenatal care – defined by the timing and frequency of care visits – is an important factor in the success of prenatal care. Adequacy has been correlated with positive birth outcomes and other benefits such as reduced risk of postpartum depression and infant injuries.