Warren County slightly behind in prenatal care
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Adequate prenatal care can often make the difference as to whether a child reaches his or her full potential. Here in Warren County, less than 70 percent of pregnant women received such care in 2000, according to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.
In its recently released publication “Kids Count 2002: The State of the Child in Tennessee,” the commission reported 68.8 percent of Warren County pregnant women received adequate prenatal care, a 4 percent decline over figures released last year.
The local figure also puts the county behind the statewide average of 73.1 percent of pregnant women receiving adequate prenatal care.
Local obstetrician Dr. David Watlington said while he thinks a majority of local women receive prenatal care, he said he agrees that many do not receive “adequate” care.
“I do think that figure sounds accurate if you look at the definition of adequate. The big issue seems to be at what point in their pregnancy the women start to receive care. We do have a lot who come in after the first trimester,” he said.
Ideally, health officials say, prenatal care should begin before conception, but as many pregnancies are unplanned, seeking such care as early as possible during the first trimester of pregnancy is highly recommended. Expectant mothers should see a health care professional, who will monitor the health of mother and baby, at least once a month, and closer to once a week as the due date nears.
If continued through pregnancy, this level of care has been shown to reduce the risk of death to the mother and birth defects to the child.
Despite such evidence, however, many mothers-to-be in Warren County and across the state and nation still fail to obtain adequate prenatal care in the early stages of pregnancy. Those found to be at especially high risk for not receiving adequate prenatal care include blacks, Hispanics, those under 20, those with less than a high school education and those with more than one child.
Reasons cited for the lack of prenatal care are attitudes toward pregnancy, lifestyle factors, and cultural beliefs. Reasons given by some of the high-risk pregnant women include not knowing they were pregnant, lack of money or insurance coverage and not being able to schedule an appointment.
Watlington said in his experience, money is not usually the problem, as most women usually have some form of insurance. “For different reasons some just don’t come in when they should. For some it’s transportation. Some intend to, but just don’t make it a priority. Others have been pregnant before and think they know the routine,” he said.
In addition to obtaining prenatal care, other precautions women should take during pregnancy include having urinary tract infections and STDs treated immediately, avoiding cat litter and raw meat (the may contain the parasite Toxoplasma gondii), completely avoiding alcohol and tobacco products and minimizing exposure to X-rays, hot tubs and saunas.