For some moms, getting ready for a new baby might mean cribs and car seats, baby showers and painting a nursery. Beyond that, it might mean having a lot of family and community support, plus having regular access to a doctor to make sure both mom and baby are healthy. But for some moms-to-be, there are barriers that can make that difficult.
Maternal health in the United States is a growing concern, with the highest maternal death rate among developed countries. Maternal mortality has increased by 27% in the United States since 1990, while falling by 44% in other developed countries during the same time period.
At Health Plan of Nevada, we understand the challenges of being an expectant mother, recognizing that every pregnancy is a one-of-a-kind experience. To assist soon-to-be-moms, we’ve developed comprehensive care programs that offer resources and support to women, to aid in a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy baby.
PREGNANCY CASE MANAGEMENT
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, according to womenshealth.gov.
Health Plan of Nevada’s pregnancy case management wants to ensure the health of the mother and the baby from gestation, and has built a pregnancy case management program that incorporates a team of nurses and assistants to help pregnant women go through healthy pregnancies every step of the way.
The trained case management nurses will:
- Collaborate with local obstetricians to identify and screen pregnant women for low-risk and high-risk pregnancy related needs.
- Help select doctors and assist in making prenatal appointments.
- Work with doctors and specialists to coordinate any additional medical services.
- Assist in securing transportation to medical services; help secure community assistance from agencies like WIC (Women, Infants and Children).
TUMMY2TODDLER MOBILE APP
There is a lot to keep track of when pregnant or parenting a little one. The free, Tummy2Toddler pregnancy and new baby support app offers on-the-go resources through pregnancy milestones and up to two years of life.
Through the app, mothers can:
- Manage pregnancy through each milestone and trimester.
- Complete a risk assessment to identify high-risk pregnancy.
- Get parenting guidance through their baby’s first two years and monitor early childhood development.
- Track progress using a fetal kick count tracker, with the results emailed directly to their obstetrical doctor.
- Receive immediate answers to questions about any symptoms they are experiencing
- Complete a postpartum depression (PPD) screening. Any positive results are immediately sent to a behavioral health case manager to contact the mom and review resources and support.
TELEHEALTH ACCESS
Telehealth, or virtual visits is helping make access to health care more convenient. Expectant mothers have access to 24/7 virtual visits without an appointment.
Women also have access to a 24/7 advice nurse line allowing them to ask questions about any concerning symptoms, receive self-care advice and assistance in deciding whether to seek urgent care, emergency services, or schedule an appointment with their provider.
For many expectant mothers, worries can build from the moment the test turns positive, but one thing they shouldn’t have to fear is dying during pregnancy or childbirth. We are continuously working on new programs and resources for mothers to aid in the fight against mortality.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were not involved in the creation of this content.