Prenatal Care

Prenatal care programs have proven effective in improving birth outcomes and preventing low birthweight. Yet over one-fourth of all pregnant women in the United States do not begin prenatal care in the first 3 months of pregnancy, and for some groups—such as black teenagers—participation in prenatal care is declining. To find out why, the authors studied 30 prenatal care programs and analyzed surveys of mothers who did not seek prenatal care. This new book reports their findings and offers specific recommendations for improving the nation's maternity system and increasing the use of prenatal care programs.

Table of Contents

• Front Matter
• Summary
• Introduction
• 1. Who Obtains Insufficient Prenatal Care?
• 2. Barriers to the Use of Prenatal Care
• 3. Women's Perceptions of Barriers to Care
• 4. Improving the Use of Prenatal Care: Program Experience
• 5. Conclusions and Recommendations
• Appendix A: Summaries of the 31 Programs Studied
• Appendix B: Prenatal Care Outreach: An International Perspective
• Appendix C: The Medical Malpractice Crisis and Poor Women
• Index
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