If you’re pregnant and you smoke, Golden
Valley Memorial Hospital (GVMH) can
help deliver a special gift to your little one:
a smoke-free you.
✦
“Quitting smoking is
the No. 1 most important thing you can do
to improve the health of your baby and, in
the long run, your own health,” says Rhonda Glaspy, di-
rector of the Birthing Center at GVMH.
MANY NEED HELP
A lot of women who smoke try to
quit when they learn they’re pregnant. “They’re aware
they shouldn’t smoke,” Glaspy says. “But it’s a hard habit
to break.”
That’s why since April, GVMH has offered a free na-
tional stop-smoking program for pregnant women. It’s
called Baby & Me – Tobacco Free.
Glaspy learned about the program last year. She thought
it could help many pregnant women in Henry County. Re-
search showed that from 2008 through 2012, 44 percent of
moms-to-be in the county who receivedMedicaid smoked.
Why is prenatal care
so important?
Expert prenatal care is one of the best
ways for a mom-to-be and her baby to have
a healthy pregnancy. It should start as soon
as a woman thinks she is pregnant.
Research shows that women who have
early and regular prenatal care are less
likely to have babies born too early.
That's important because premature
babies can face a lifetime of complica-
tions from their birth, including problems
with eyes, ears, breathing, neurological
development, learning and behavior.
Prenatal visits can help a doctor find—
and treat—harmful health conditions that
can affect a woman and her baby, such as
high blood pressure or diabetes.
A doctor can also advise the mom-to-
be on ways to stay healthy, such as by
exercising; eating well; taking vitamins;
and not using tobacco, alcohol or illegal
drugs.
During the first prenatal visit, a woman
can expect her doctor to:
■
■
Take a complete medical history.
■
■
Do a physical exam, including a pelvic
exam and a Pap test.
■
■
Calculate her due date.
■
■
Check her blood pressure, height and
weight.
■
■
Take her blood and urine for lab work.
■
■
Answer any of her questions.
Expectant mothers typically see their
doctors once a month during the first six
months and more often as their due date
grows near.
That statistic prompted Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
to award GVMH a grant to help bring the Baby & Me –
Tobacco Free program to the hospital.
“It’s wonderful we got the grant, but not so wonderful
why we got it,” Glaspy says, referring to the high rate of
expecting mothers who light up.
DOLLARS FOR DIAPERS
Women who enroll in the
stop-smoking program at GVMH see a specially trained
nurse or respiratory therapist for four counseling sessions
before they give birth.
At each session, the mom-to-be receives tips on quit-
ting smoking. She also blows into a carbon monoxide
monitor. The results indicate whether she’s still smoking
and if she is, how much she’s smoking.
Monthly monitoring for smoking continues for a year
after the woman delivers.
If she stays smoke-free during that time, she gets a
$25 voucher each month for diapers.
“This program offers a financial incentive to quit
smoking,” Glaspy says. “But obviously there are plenty
of health incentives too—for the moms, their newborns
and anyone else in their home.”
To sign up for Baby & Me – Tobacco Free, call Rhonda
Glaspy at 660-890-7360 or Amy Lutjen at 660-890-8411.
I
QUITTING
FOR TWO
Stop-smoking program
aims to help moms-to-be
and their babies
SMALL VICTORIES!
Pediatric rehab
helps our smallest
patients overcome
big challenges.
SEE PAGE 2
FALL FAVORITE. Try
our apple-cranberry
crisp to bring warm
smiles to a cold
evening.
SEE PAGE 3
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Golden Valley
Memorial Healthcare
1600 N. Second St.
Clinton, MO 64735
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