JACKSON — One of the most proactive steps an expectant mother can take to ensure she delivers a healthy baby is to take prenatal vitamins. To ensure everyone has access to prenatal vitamins, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) distributes them to pregnant women at no cost at all county health departments that provide nursing services.
By distributing prenatal vitamins, MSDH not only addresses immediate nutritional needs of expectant mothers and their unborn children but also helps improve access to prenatal care by creating additional opportunities for patient engagement, education, and referral to maternal and infant services. This approach supports healthier pregnancies and contributes to reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.
A six-month supply of prenatal vitamins, made possible through grant funding, is available to any woman who tests positive for pregnancy.
The agency launched the “Saving the Smallest” campaign in January to spread public awareness of the issues driving preterm births in Mississippi and encourage adoption of safe prenatal and infant-care behaviors. More babies are born preterm here than anywhere else in the nation, and our infant mortality rate is significantly higher than the national average. We also have high rates (14.7%) of inadequate prenatal care.
For more information on steps you should take to have a healthy full-term pregnancy and a baby who lives to celebrate their first birthday, visit https://everybabyfirst.com.
To schedule an appointment at a county health department, call 855-767-0170.
