News Moms Need

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children - better known as the WIC Program - serves to safeguard the health of low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk.  WIC provides nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating including breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care.

The WIC target populations are low-income, nutritionally at risk:
• Pregnant women (through pregnancy and up to 6 weeks after birth or after pregnancy ends).
• Breastfeeding women (up to infant’s 1st birthday)
• Nonbreastfeeding postpartum women (up to 6 months after the birth of an infant or after pregnancy ends)
• Infants (up to 1st birthday). WIC serves 53 percent of all infants born in the United States.
• Children up to their 5th birthday.

WIC participants have longer, healthier pregnancies and fewer premature births than those in these categories who do not participate.

If you think you or someone you know may be eligible to receive WIC services or you just want to find out more, visit the WIC website at http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/. The WIC Prescreening Tool can be used to determine if you may be eligible for WIC benefits. This Prescreening Tool is not an application for WIC, however. To apply for WIC benefits, you must make an appointment at your WIC local agency and you can find your local agency on the WIC site.

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 — Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes, issued the following statement today:

“The March of Dimes hails the Supreme Court’s decision to reject challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) and to uphold the law as constitutional.  This decision represents a landmark victory for pregnant women, infants and families.

“The Affordable Care Act will extend the benefits of health coverage to millions of women, children and families who would otherwise face every illness as a potential catastrophe.  This law will give more pregnant women access to prenatal, maternity and postnatal care; more children the ability to obtain lifesaving vaccines and services to ensure their healthy development; and more families the financial security of knowing that they have adequate insurance.  The ACA will require that every health plan offer care for maternity coverage, in contrast to today’s individual market, where only 13 percent of plans cover maternity care.

“The March of Dimes was proud to join amicus curiae briefs in support of both the individual mandate and the Medicaid expansion in the ACA.  The individual mandate is crucial to the success of key provisions of the ACA, such as the elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, since it will enable insurers to construct a pool sufficient to share risk appropriately.  The Medicaid expansion will build upon the existing state infrastructure to extend coverage and services to millions of individuals who have previously either gone without care or been unable to pay for the services they received, improving access to preconception and interconception care for women so they can be healthy before they are pregnant.

“While we clearly have many years of work ahead of us to ensure that the ACA is implemented appropriately and fulfills its potential, the March of Dimes is gratified that the Supreme Court’s decision allows this important work to go forward.  We look forward to continuing our work both at the federal level and in all U.S. states and territories to improve the health of pregnant women, infants, children and families.”

Last month we posted a link to a CDC web page for pregnant women living in the Gulf region who are concerned about contaminants.  If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out.  Now the CDC has created a web page with information about the Gulf oil spill for parents – an important site to visit.

 If you live in the region or you’re going there on vacation, there may be plenty of questions you want answers to.  Will the air make my child sick? Is it safe for him to swim in the water or play on the beach? Is the oil itself harmful or toxic? Are oil dispersants harmful to children?  Aside from finding good information now, you can ask to receive email when updates are posted.

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working together to continue monitoring the levels of oil and oil dispersants in the environment. If they begin to find levels that are likely to be harmful, they will tell the public. For up-to-date information on monitoring data along the Gulf Coast, please visit the EPA’s website.

Through all of the worsening news of  the spill and the photos of birds, turtles and even bugs soaked with oil, there has been a nagging worry about contaminents.  When I started to hear about hazmat suits and fishermen complaining of health concerns, my thoughts went to what about all the pregnant women living and breathing down on the gulf?  

Now, the CDC has come out with an information page addressing many of the concerns for pregnant women.  It addresses the air quality, smell, burning oil, dispersants, safety of the drinking water as well as fish and seafood.  If you  are living in a gulf state or know someone who is, please read this and pass it along.

News announcement from Dr. Christopher Howson, Vice President Global Programs for the March of Dimes:

The massive earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has devastated the entire country. As with any disaster, moms and babies are among the most vulnerable.   The March of Dimes is deeply concerned about the thousands of pregnant women and moms caring for infants and children.

The tragedy this week requires a special response. We are providing a grant to UNICEF dedicated to meeting the urgent needs of Haiti’s moms and babies. You can find out more information or help here.

Poverty is everywhere.  It is not just abroad but here in our country too.  There are children that do not have enough to eat and women who give what there is to their kids but do not eat themselves.  There are pregnant women that do not go for their prenatal visits because they do not have health insurance and cannot afford to pay out of pocket.  Decisions are being made everyday on what bills can be put off; what necessity is really a luxury item; how to afford gas for the car; how to make a birthday special without costing a lot of money.  Making ends meet is getting more and more difficult.

People are worrying about the economy and its impact on the future.   Times are tough.  But they are tougher and scarier for some people more than others.  Pregnant women and children are among those.

1 in 5 young women and 1 in 9 children do not have health insurance.  That means no doctor visits unless it is dire; no medicine for the little one screaming with an earache; maybe trying folk remedies or herbal medicines which may not be safe; taking over-the-counter medicine that may not be right and hoping for the best, waiting until it’s too late to get to the hospital. 

Yes, there are some programs for children like the State Children’s Health Insurance Programs and Medicaid, but getting insurance coverage for a pregnant woman is hard.  Many families are above the financial threshold yet cannot afford the monthly insurance premium.   Some states offer programs such as New York’s Prenatal Care Assistance Program or San Diego County’s Perinatal Care Network.  If you or someone you love is struggling with getting health insurance, check with your local health department, WIC clinic or Medicaid Office.  There are also discount programs available such as Ameriplan or Maternity Advantage.

Having to choose between buying food, paying rent, going for a prenatal visit, or taking the baby to the doctor for her 6^th month checkup is heart-wrenching.  The stress has to be overwhelming.  And that in itself is bad for pregnant women.