What can a mom do to prevent low birth weight?
There is general agreement among pediatricians, the March of Dimes, American Heart Association, and local and state health professionals that drinking, smoking and using drugs during pregnancy negatively impact the size and health of a newborn. Lack of pre-natal care and poor pre-natal nutritional habits also play a role. Some studies have also shown that having a previous low birth weight baby or multiple births, or unplanned pregnancy, and a mother being over 35 can contribute to having a low birth weight infant. There is also concern that environmental factors, stress, racism and poverty contribute to the terribly high rate, of 13.1% low birth weight infants, among African American mothers. The goal of Healthy People 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guide to the best health for the nation, is 5% low birth weight infants within the total number of infants born every year. It is currently 11.6% in the United States, but there are at least three things every expectant mom can do to help reduce the numbers:- No drinking, smoking or using drugs during pregnancy
- Healthy food during pregnancy
- Regular pre-natal check-ups
Other ways of getting the best possible outcome for you and your infant are avoiding stress, developing relaxation techniques, and maintaining a health weight. An important element of pre-pregnancy is taking a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid every day, to avoid neural tube defects in your baby. A pediatrician and former NJ Deputy Commissioner of Health, Dr. Leah Z. Ziskin, said, "prevention is the best form of ‘cure.’" Preventing your baby from being low birth weight is the one thing you can do so that both you and your infant are healthy and happy!
Editorial provided by Ann M. Wilson, D.S.W., the director of the New Jersey Coalition for Prevention of Developmental Disabilities, a program of The Arc of New Jersey.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.expectantmothersguide.com)
