5 Tools for Pregnant Women, New Moms, and Women Who Are Considering Pregnancy

Life changes when a baby arrives. Expect a bundle of joy as well as new challenges.

Whether you are pregnant, considering pregnancy, or already a new mom, here are a few tools to help keep you and your baby safe and healthy.

Text4baby

Check out Text4baby. It’s a free cellphone text messaging service for pregnant women and new moms. Three times per week, you’ll receive tips on how to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and how to care for your baby up to 1 year of age. The timely tips are based on your expected due date or your baby’s date of birth.

Text4baby

Mobile app on alcohol and pregnancy

CDC’s free mobile application (app) on alcohol and pregnancy has the latest information on how drinking alcohol may affect your pregnancy. You can also learn how to help prevent, recognize, and treat fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These are problems that can occur in a baby whose mother drinks alcohol during her pregnancy. FASDs are 100 percent preventable. You can easily view and share content in English or Spanish right from your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

CDC app on alcohol and pregnancy

Test your knowledge

How much do you know about folic acid? Take the folic acid quiz to learn how having folic acid before and during pregnancy helps prevent birth defects. The quiz tells you all of the different ways you can get the right amount of folic acid every day.

Folic Acid Quiz

How much do you know about birth defects? About one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect. Take the following quiz to learn about:

• Preventing birth defects
• Getting vaccinations (shots) during pregnancy
• Drinking alcohol while pregnant
• Using medication during pregnancy
• Diabetes and pregnancy, and more.

Birth Defects Quiz

How much do you know about alcohol use during pregnancy? In addition to learning more by using the CDC mobile app on alcohol and pregnancy listed above, you can take the following quiz to learn:

• What kind of lifelong effects are caused by alcohol use during pregnancy
• Whether any types of alcohol are safe to drink during pregnancy
• When to stop drinking if you’re planning a pregnancy
• What risky drinking is for women who are pregnant or could become pregnant
• Why some women drink during pregnancy and their children are healthy.

Alcohol Use Quiz

Before, during, and after pregnancy

Visit CDC’s pregnancy and reproductive health pages for information on a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, and a healthy you. Knowing that you are doing all you can to stay healthy before, during, and after pregnancy, and giving your baby a healthy start in life, will help you to have peace of mind.

• Pregnancy Homepage
• Reproductive Health
• Preconception Health and Health Care Homepage

Podcasts

In just a few minutes, learn reliable health and safety information to help you and your baby. Browse “pregnancy” and “women’s health” topics on CDC’s podcast page.

• CDC podcasts