• Nine Months to Get Ready
• Your Baby Needs 39 Weeks
• Oral Health During Pregnancy
• Smoking During Pregnancy

Breast Pumps

There are several ways to provide your baby with natural nutrition when you're away or aren't able to actively breastfeed.

The use of a breast pump is one convenient way to do this.

Choosing a breast pump can be confusing since there are many manual pumps on the market. If you need help choosing a pump, discuss with other mothers, a breastfeeding peer counselor or a lactation consultant. Once you buy a pump, be sure to read how to put it together and use it correctly.

Whether using an electric or manual pump, be sure to follow the tips below:

Don't get discouraged if you have trouble getting a good latch at first. Follow the steps and repeat if necessary. Keep in mind that breastfeeding should not be painful. If you still have trouble after a few tries, ask a lactation consultant, breastfeeding coordinator, peer counselor or your baby's doctor for help. With a little practice, you and your little one will both be enjoying the benefits of breastfeeding.

Remember, breast is best!

Pregnancy puts you at much higher risk than most people for complications from flu.

The good news is that there are things you can do to help protect yourself from the flu. The first is to get vaccinated for flu. Talk to your health care provider about the vaccine and other ways to stay healthy.

Normally, people who get the flu recover within a few days to two weeks. But for a few, the flu can lead to life-threatening complications such as pneumonia and even death.

DHEC's statewide Family Planning program provides confidential reproductive health care services, counseling and education to teens by caring professionals. Some of the many services Family Planning provides are:

For Your Baby:

It protects against:

• Ear infections
• Diarrhea and other stomach issues  
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Bone loss later in life

Preconception health is the health of a woman before she becomes pregnant. It focuses on taking actions now to help protect the health of a baby and the mother in the future. This is important for every woman to consider whether or not she is planning a pregnancy because about half of all pregnancies are not planned. Preconception health services should include risk assessment or screening, interventions including education and/or counseling, and appropriate referrals.

The following may be addressed at health care visits:

The last few weeks of pregnancy can be really uncomfortable. It can be hard to sit, stand, and sleep. Sometimes women feel so bad, they ask their doctor or midwife to start labor early with medicine. This is called inducing labor.

Why is it Important to Wait for Labor?

Unless a woman has major health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure, inducing labor before 39 weeks can cause problems for you and your baby.

Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to 10 percent of all infant deaths and can impair fetal brain and nervous system development. Babies who are born to women who smoke are three times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and are typically born underweight. What some mothers don't realize is that an underweight baby can go on to suffer more health problems throughout its entire life than a baby born within the normal weight range. Not pregnant yet but thinking about trying? Or have you just found out you're expecting? Stop smoking now.

Many birth defects can happen early in pregnancy, sometimes before a woman knows she is pregnant. Not all birth defects can be prevented, but you can increase your chance of having a healthy baby.

Below are some tips and resources on how you can get ready for and have a healthy pregnancy and baby.