Prenatal Care

Because Li speaks only Vietnamese, she asked for an interpreter for her prenatal visits.

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So, you’re pregnant! Or you want to get pregnant. There’s a lot to think about and a lot to plan for.

Topics on this page

• Choose a prenatal care provider
• Make your first prenatal appointment
• Work with your doctor
• Join a prenatal class
• What does your health plan cover?
• Help for the uninsured

Choose a prenatal care provider

This can be a family doctor, an ob-gyn, a nurse practitioner, or a nurse-midwife. Ask your primary care doctor, friends, or family members to recommend a doctor. Or ask your health plan for a list of prenatal care providers.

Make your first prenatal appointment

• Make an appointment with your primary care doctor or prenatal care provider as soon as you know you are pregnant (or when you start trying to get pregnant).
• This is the time to stop smoking and drinking. Ask if your health plan has classes to help you.
• Ask for a prescription for prenatal vitamins. They contain important vitamins and minerals, such as calcium and folic acid.
• If you have an ongoing health problem, such as diabetes, talk to your doctor about how to manage it during pregnancy. You may want your specialist involved in your prenatal care.

Work with your doctor

• Ask for a list of your prenatal visits.
• Use the worksheet to talk to your doctor about the care you need.
• Ask what tests you will need. Learn more about tests at Childbirth.org   and the March of Dimes  .
• Learn more about pregnancy at KidsHealth   and American Pregnancy Association  .

Join a prenatal class

Ask your doctor or health plan about prenatal or childbirth classes to help prepare for labor and birth. Most mothers say they are a must, especially if this is your first baby. Start looking for a prenatal class about halfway through your pregnancy. Otherwise, classes may be full.

What does your health plan cover?

• All group health plans cover prenatal care. They also cover at least two days in the hospital if you deliver vaginally and four if you have a C-section.
• Some individual policies do not cover prenatal care and birth. Check your policy.

Help for the uninsured

• Medi-Cal is for women who have low incomes. If you are pregnant, you can start getting prenatal care right away. To apply, ask your clinic or call your county Social Services office  .
• AIM   is for pregnant women whose income is too high to get Medi-Cal. You can also get AIM if you have health insurance but your deductible or co-pay for pregnancy care is more than $500.
• Healthy Families   is for children. You can cover your child from birth through 18 years, even if you have health coverage for yourself at your job.

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