Another Reason Why Prenatal Care Is So Important

According to the American Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp), gestational diabetes affects approximately 4%, or 135,000, of American women and their babies each year. Complications of gestational diabetes can lead to high levels of blood glucose for babies of mothers with the condition, which can in turn lead to "fat" babies and delivery complications. It can alternatively lead to low blood glucose levels due to high levels of insulin in infants, which can cause breathing problems and other issues.

The best way to combat gestational diabetes is through proper prenatal care, something many American women -- particularly middle class workers who do not have employer-provided health care but make too much to qualify for social welfare programs -- are forced to forego because it is expensive and because the expense of prenatal care for uninsured mothers can be inflated by medical billing companies.

What an atrocity that the so-called "Big Three" of the auto industry can be the recipients of a $200 billion government-funded bailout package, yet hundreds of thousands of uninsured women and their children nationwide are not afforded the opportunity to receive proper prenatal care. In the long run, such prenatal care can actually save the government money because preventative care (as the health insurance industry knows) is cheaper than emergency care; and prenatal care is proven to reduce the instances of pregnancy- and delivery-related emergencies.

A recent announcement stated that scientists soon might be able to find out if an unborn child has certain diseases such as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis simply by testing the mother's blood rather than risking miscarriage via amniocentesis (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27908271/). The discovery could lead to a breakthrough in early and successful treatment for these diseases, but many Moms in the Middle will not have access to the tests -- despite the fact that they're a leading (and voting) demographic in American society.

While scientific research has helped save many mothers and children, it seems a waste if the benefits of such research are not available to those living in "the land of the free."

I am PRO MOM!!!
Aaron Bouren
Advocate Aaron