Take Care New York

10. Have a Healthy Baby

Planning pregnancy helps ensure a healthy mother and a healthy baby.

Planning pregnancy-deciding if and when to become pregnant-can prevent many problems and help ensure that your baby gets the best possible start. Make sure you're as healthy as possible before you get pregnant.

What to Do

Plan Your Pregnancy

• • Always use birth control until you're ready to get pregnant. Many safe and effective methods are available, and one of them is right for you.
• • Ideally, there should be at least 18 months between pregnancies to give your body a chance to recover.
• • Get regular checkups and pelvic exams. Make sure you're tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• • Smoking can make it harder to get pregnant and harder to have a healthy baby.
• • If you're trying to get pregnant, don't smoke, drink, or use drugs. Alcohol and other drugs, such as cocaine, cause miscarriages, birth defects, and developmental and other serious problems.
• • To prevent birth defects, women who may become pregnant should take a daily multi-vitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid.

Get Early and Regular Prenatal Care

• • See your doctor as soon as you think you're pregnant. Regular prenatal care beginning early in pregnancy prevents problems.
• • If you smoke or use alcohol or drugs, get help to stop.
• • To prevent birth defects, take a daily multi-vitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid.

After Your Baby Is Born

• • Breast milk is best. Breast-feed your baby for at least 4 to 6 months, unless you're HIV-positive or have a problem with drugs or alcohol.
• • To develop properly, your baby needs to be touched often, held close, and handled gently all the time.
• • No matter how tired, angry, or frustrated you feel, never shake or treat your baby roughly. Shaking your baby could kill your baby or cause permanent and devastating brain injury.
• • Reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by putting your baby "back to sleep." Babies should sleep on their backs, alone, on a firm mattress without pillows, toys, or loose blankets.
• • Prevent lead poisoning, which can impair your child's health, learning, and behavior.

For additional information call 311.

Additional Information and Tools

• • NY State DOH: Hospital Maternity-Related Procedures and Practices 
• • DOHMH: Directory of Pregnancy & Sexual Health Services for Teens in NYC
• • DOHMH: Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
• • DOHMH: Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health
• • DOHMH: Women's Healthline
• • For Free help to quit smoking, call 311 and ask for the Smokers' Quitline.
• • New York State Prenatal Care Assistance Program
• • NOAH (New York Online Access to Health) Family Planning and Birth Control
• • Your New Baby
• • Talk to your doctor, or call 311 and ask for Women's Healthline.
• • If you feel you can't cope with your child, call the Parent Hotline anytime, day or night, at 1-800-342-7472.

Related Publications

• • Breastfeeding Your Baby (PDF)
• • City of New York Resource Directory of Domestic Violence Services (PDF)
• • Directory of Pregnancy & Sexual Health Services for Teens in NYC (PDF)
• • Health Bulletin #5: Women's Health (PDF)
• • Sexual & Reproductive Health Services in New York City (PDF)