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Prenatal Education
Prenatal Education Sheets

Click the icon below to download our Prenatal Education Sheets.

Onsite Prenatal Education Sheets

Diabetes During Pregnancy: 

Diabetes during pregnancy:
What does this mean for my baby?


How can diabetes affect my baby if my sugar is not able to stay at a normal level?

 

  • Before birth:

    • May cause serious problems in how the baby's heart, brain, and spine form.

​​

  • After birth:

    • Large baby weighing more than 9 pounds, which can lead to problems during birth.

    • Low sugar levels in the baby that can cause harm.

    • If there are problems with the heart, brain, or spine, then your baby may need surgery to help. This can lead to other health issues in the future.


What will my baby need after he or she is born?

​

  • Regular sugar checks by the nurse or doctor

  • Possible need for extra feeding support or certain medicines

  • Possible need for admission to the NICU (a special area in the hospital for babies)

  • This means your baby may need to stay in the hospital for a longer time than normal.

​

What can I do to help my baby?

​

  • Talk with your doctor about diet changes, lifestyle changes, or medicine you may need and follow their advice.


KEY MESSAGE: More normal sugar levels = less risk to your baby

High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

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High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy:
How does this affect your baby?


High blood pressure in pregnancy can cause many problems with your baby, including any of the following: 

 

  • Delivery of your baby earlier than normal, which may health issues as an adult

  • Possibility of death from problems at delivery

  • Slow growth while in the womb, which increases the risk of high blood
    pressure, heart problems, and problems with blood sugar as an adult

  • Extra help with breathing at birth and a higher chance of needing oxygen

  • Low blood sugar

  • Other abnormal blood work

  • Problems with feeding

  • Low blood pressure​

​​​
Who will help my baby after delivery?

​

  • Your baby may need help at delivery because of early delivery and need the care
    of highly skilled baby doctors in small baby ICU (intensive care
    unit).

​

What can you do to help your baby?

​

  • Talk to your doctor about Talk to your doctor about how you can control your blood pressure, eat healthy

Drug Use During Pregnancy: 

Drug Use in Pregnancy and What it Means for Your Baby​

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Resources:

 

Center for Disease Control (CDC)
    https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/

    diseases/pregnancy.html


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How Can Drinking Alcohol in Pregnancy Harm Your Baby? 

  • Alcohol can cause abnormal facial features and issues with how the brain grows and develops

  • Alcohol can hurt the baby at any point during pregnancy

  • The sooner a woman stops drinking, the better it will be for both her baby and herself.

​​​
How Can Smoking Tobacco Harm Your Baby?

  • Smoking hurts your baby’s lungs and brain, which can affect your baby for many years.

  • Your baby may born much smaller or born early if you smoke

  • Smoking raises your baby’s risk for having problems with how the face or lips are formed.

  • Smoking after birth causes a higher risk for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

​

How Can Marijuana Harm Your Baby?

  • No amount of marijuana, whether it’s smoked, eaten, or vaped is safe to use during pregnancy.

  • Marijuana use during pregnancy may cause many problems for your baby, including:

    • Poor growth of your baby

    • Higher risk of early birth or death of your baby

    • Long term problems affecting your baby’s memory, learning, and behavior


 

It is NEVER too late to quit.  1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free support

​

Talk to your doctor and seek support from friends, loved ones, or community sources. 

Opioids Use During Pregnancy: 

Opioids in pregnancy:

What does this mean for your baby?

What are opioids?

  • A group of drugs used to reduce pain

  • Common opioids prescribed by a doctor:
    • Morphine

    • Methadone

    • Codeine

    • Oxycodone

    • Fentanyl

  • Heroin is an illegal opioid

​​

How do they affect your baby?

  • Can be born early (before 37 weeks)

  • Have poor growth in the womb

  • May have birth defects

  • May have problems with withdrawal,
    called Neonatal Abstinence
    Syndrome

    • Withdrawal may be worse if other drugs were also used, such as tobacco or alcohol.  â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹

What will your baby need after birth? 

  • A longer stay in the hospital for
    observation for withdrawal

  • Some babies require medication to
    treat withdrawal​
  • Most babies are able to breast
    feed

  • Babies may need special doctors
    and
    therapists to take care of them after
    they leave the hospital

​​

What can I do to help my baby?

  • Go to all of your doctor's visits

  • Follow your doctor's
    recommendations about lifestyle
    changes, such as reducing the
    amount or quitting certain drugs.​​​​

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Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy: 

Hypothyroidism in pregnancy:
How does this affect my baby?


How does hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels) affect my baby if it is not
controlled?

 

  • Before birth:

    • Can hurt the brain development of your baby

​​

  • After birth:

    • Low birth weight

    • Problems with low body temperature

    • High risk of your baby being very short (less than 4 foot 10 inches tall) as an adult

    • Low blood count (called anemia) and problems with jaundice

    • Congestive heart failure when the heart has trouble pumping

​

  • Long Term

    • Poor development as baby grows​

    • Higher chance that your baby may have lower than normal intelligence


What will happen to my baby after delivery if my thyroid levels remain too low?

​

  • Thyroid levels are tested routinely by state screening but your baby may need
    additional blood testing if the screening is abnormal.

  • Your baby may require admission to a baby intensive care unit for more treatment.

​

What can I do to help my baby?

​

  • Talk with your doctor about what medicine you should be taking to keep normal
    thyroid hormone levels.

​

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KEY MESSAGE: More normal thyroid levels = less chance of harm to your baby

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