There is no catch for the many who have texted BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 for free weekly cell phone messages for mothers-to-be about their own health and that of their babies, timed to the baby’s due date or birthday.
The service, Text4Baby, is a partnership with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, the White House, numerous major mobile phone carriers, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Text4Baby works by providing pregnant women and new parents with information they need to give their babies the best possible start in life.
“We are so happy that text4baby is putting maternal and child health information into the hands of women who need it most,” said Judy Meehan, CEO of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition.
The messages focus on a variety of topics critical to maternal and child health: birth defects prevention, immunization, nutrition, seasonal flu, mental health, oral health, and safe sleep among others. Text4baby messages also connect women to early prenatal care as well as a variety of existing resources available to them.
“This is a great service because I am constantly updated with useful information at a quick reach,” said Cristina Martinez from Flushing, who is two months into her pregnancy.
Money can be an issue here and elsewhere, because women without insurance may wait until they get Medicaid before going to a doctor, but lack of medical care in the first three months of pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight babies, premature births and birth defects. Low birth weights and premature birth increase the risk of a baby dying before his or her first birthday.
Participants can stop at any time and their information is kept completely private. Although the program is citywide, Text4Baby is also targeting areas of NYC that have especially high levels of prematurity, low birth weight, and infant mortality.
To learn more about the text4baby program, visit: www.text4baby.org.
