During Pregnancy

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Being pregnant can be a very exciting time. But it can also be stressful. This is a time when your body is rapidly changing, bringing on both physical and mental health challenges. This is also a time when you need to do many things to prepare for the arrival of your baby. Don’t worry – HAP CareSource is here for you! Keep reading for steps to take for a healthy pregnancy.

Report your pregnancy

Be sure to let HAP CareSource and the Division of Family & Children Services know as soon as you become pregnant. This way, we can be sure to send you all the information and resources you will need throughout your pregnancy.

Maternal and Infant Health Program (MIHP)

MIHP supports healthy pregnancies and healthy infants. It is open to all Medicaid-eligible pregnant women.

MIHP will:

  • Visit you during and after your pregnancy to answer your questions and help you take care of yourself and your baby
  • Nurses who visit will teach about pregnancy, labor and delivery. They also teach you how to care for your baby
  • Social workers will help with housing, baby supplies and other resources
  • Dietitians will teach about eating healthy during pregnancy. They also teach you how to feed your baby
  • Connect you to parenting classes
  • Refer you to local community services, if needed
  • Refer you to childbirth classes close by
  • Help you with transportation to services, if needed

If you have questions about MIHP, please contact Mom and Baby Beginnings at 1-833-230-2034 (TTY: 711).

Consider working with a Care Manager

Working with a Care Manager is a great way to help make sure you’re getting the best support and care throughout your pregnancy. Working with a Care Manager is vital if your pregnancy is high-risk. Our Care Managers will commit to giving you the best physical care and help you stay on track for all your prenatal visits. They will also strive to give you emotional support and hear you out, no matter what you’re going through. 

Interested in working with a Care Manager? Call 1-844-217-1357 (TTY: 711) to learn more.

Go to all prenatal visits

Scheduling prenatal visits with your OB provider is one of the most vital steps to take for you and your baby. Seeing your OB provider early, and regularly throughout your pregnancy can help your OB provider spot problems before they occur and prevent problems during delivery.

If you’re healthy and have no risk factors, you can expect to see your OB provider:

  • Every 4 weeks until the 28th week of pregnancy
  • Then, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks
  • Then, once a week until delivery

Need help getting to your prenatal visits? We’re here for you! HAP CareSource offers free rides to and from all provider visits. Just call Member Services at 1-833-230-2053 (TTY: 711) 48 hours before your visit. We will arrange a ride to and from your visit.

Join the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program

Did you know that if you are pregnant, you can get food, education and support at no cost to you? Just enroll in the WIC Program! WIC benefits can be used to buy groceries such as dairy, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. This can help you keep a healthy diet during pregnancy.

Have questions on the WIC Program or want to find out how to apply? Need help finding an office near you? Visit the Michigan WIC Program website.

Get recommended vaccinations

You should get two vaccinations during pregnancy: the flu shot and the Tdap vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks. You may also want to ask your OB provider about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Want a list of other vaccinations you might want to ask your OB provider about? Check out this guide for vaccinations during pregnancy.

Go to regular dental visits

During pregnancy, keeping your teeth and gums healthy can become a challenge. This happens for many reasons. For one, pregnancy often causes nausea. This causes pregnant women to brush and floss less often. Pregnancy can also make you crave foods that are not always good for your teeth, like sweets. Finally, pregnancy hormones can loosen the tissues and bone that keep teeth in place. All these things can lead to:

  • Tooth damage
  • Tooth loss
  • Gum disease
  • And more

This is why going to regular dental visits is key to keeping good dental health while pregnant.

Avoid tobacco smoke

If you are a smoker, quit smoking as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. Smoking during pregnancy can cause many problems for your baby, such as:

  • Miscarriage or stillbirth
  • Premature birth
  • A low birth weight
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  • Asthma and other breathing problems

If you need support to quit smoking, call the Quitline 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or visit the MI Tobacco Quitlink website. The Quitline includes free coaching, quit plan and educational materials.

Use opioid painkillers? Talk to your OB provider right away

Have you been prescribed opioid painkillers, like Vicodin or Percocet? If so, it’s vital that you let your OB provider know right away that you’re pregnant. This way, they can come up with another solution to help you manage pain, like nonopioid options for chronic pain. Even if opioid painkillers are prescribed to you, they can be harmful to your baby during pregnancy. They can cause problems like:

  • Birth defects
  • Premature birth
  • A low birth weight
  • Small head circumference
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Another thing that can happen to your baby when you take drugs, like opioids, during pregnancy is something called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS is when a baby withdraws from certain drugs they are exposed to in the womb before birth. Signs and symptoms of NAS are:

  • Body shakes, seizures, twitching and tight muscles
  • Fussiness, crying a lot or having a high-pitched cry
  • Poor feeding/sucking or slow weight gain
  • Breathing problems, including breathing really fast
  • Fever, sweating or blotchy skin
  • Trouble sleeping and lots of yawning
  • Diarrhea or throwing up
  • Stuffy nose or sneezing

Are you pregnant and dealing with substance use disorder? If you are, we’re here to help you.

Eat nutritious food

Good nutrition during pregnancy is vital for you and baby. Choose high-calcium foods, fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of colors, high-fiber foods, good sources of iron, and taking a prenatal vitamin every day. Avoid alcohol and limit your use of caffeine, including soda.

What else should you eat during pregnancy? What should you avoid? Get more tips on what to eat during pregnancy.

Exercise more often

Even if you haven’t worked out much in the past, being pregnant is a great reason to start. Exercising during pregnancy is safe for the most part. Plus, it provides so many benefits for you and helps you through your pregnancy.

Want to find out what activities are safe during pregnancy, what to avoid and more? Learn the facts about exercising during pregnancy. Check with your OB provider before starting an exercise routine.

Download pregnancy apps

Whether this your first child or your third, many questions may run through your mind before and after your baby is born.

The Pregnancy+ app helps pregnant people and their families. It has pregnancy tracking, articles, and support. It also has local resources and links for Michigan Medicaid members. The app makes it easier to access programs like home visits, immunizations, and mental health information. Download the app today! Find it on Apple® and Android® devices.

Another app you could check out is Count the Kicks. This app monitors the well-being of your baby during your third trimester of pregnancy. It does this by tracking your baby’s movement patterns. Be sure to tell your OB provider as soon as possible if you notice big changes in your baby’s movements. Visit countthekicks.org to sign up and learn more.

One more app we suggest is the CareSource mobile app. Even though this isn’t a pregnancy app, it will be useful throughout your pregnancy. You can use this app to schedule free rides to your appointments, find an OB provider for your prenatal visits, keep track of rewards and so much more!

Take care of your mental health

For some women, pregnancy can lead to depression due to the drastic hormonal changes happening in the body. 1 in 8 women have symptoms of depression during pregnancy (prenatal depression) and after pregnancy (postpartum depression).

Pay attention to how you’ve been feeling lately. Symptoms of prenatal and postpartum depression may be similar to depression, but also include:

  • Crying a lot
  • Feeling moody or angry
  • Not wanting to be with friends and family
  • Feeling distant from your baby
  • Feeling worried, scared or panicked
  • Blaming yourself for no reason
  • Doubting whether you can care for your baby

For help day or night, call our 24-Hour Nurse Advice Line, for help 24/7 at1-833-687-7370 (833-NURSE-70). This number is also on your HAP CareSource member ID card.

If you feel you are in a crisis or emergency situation, call 911. You can also call the Crisis Text Line at 988 or text HOME to 741741 to get help or call 988.

Dealing with the loss of your baby?

Having a miscarriage or losing your baby in another way can be very painful. If your baby died during pregnancy, you may need support right now. You may also need ways to deal with the pain of losing your baby. March of Dimes is a great resource where you can share your story and connect with other moms that have also lost their babies.

Get Support Now

Pre-select a pediatrician for your baby

You will need to take your baby in for well-visits and immunizations right after birth. The good news is you don’t have to wait until after your baby is born to start looking for pediatricians. You can choose one right now! Just fill out the pre-birth selection form below to sign up for a pediatrician: Call your Care Manager or Member Services to get help finding a pediatrician.

Prenatal Care Resources

Have other questions related to prenatal care?

Call our Mom and Baby Beginnings at 1-833-230-2034 (TTY: 711).