PREGNANCY NEEDS        

    There are about 2,5000 babies that are born yearly with neural tube defects.  The March of Dimes is reporting that if women consumed 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, before conception and through the first month of pregnancy, up to 70 percent of all neural tube defects could be prevented.

    Studies suggest that folic acid may help prevent other birth defects including cleft lip and palate.

    Because about half of pregnancies are unplanned it is important to encourage all women of childbearing age to make sure they routinely include 400 micrograms of folic acid in their daily intake.

    Folic acid's absorption rate is 50% from food, 85 % from fortified foods and 100% absorption from a folic acid supplement.

New Maternal and Child Oral Health Publications 

The Oral Health Resource Bulletin (Formerly the MCH Program Interchange-Focus on Oral Health): A periodic publication aimed at stimulating creative thinking within the maternal and child health community. 

Head Start: An Opportunity to Improve the Oral Health of Children and Families: A fact sheet providing information about children's access to services, their oral health status and new strategies for providing care for children enrolled in Head Start. 

And two tips sheets: Working with Health Professionals to Improve Access to Oral Health Care and Working with Parents to Improve Access to Oral Health Care: These tips sheets offer strategies for Head Start staff to comply with the Program Performance Standards on the recommended schedule of preventive and primary care visits, as well as with education, and family and community partnerships. 

Seven Steps to Successful Breastfeeding

You can receive copies of these publications at no charge from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Information Center at 2070 Chain Bridge Rd., Suite 450, Vienna, VA 22182-2536, or by calling (888) ASK-HRSA or emailing ask@hrsa.gov. The publications are also available on OHRC's Web site at www.mchoralhealth.org/pubs1.html.

    For more on Folic Acid: www.modimes.org

                                               www.storknet.org

                                       www.ift.org

Antibiotics use and breastfeeding recommendations: Antibiotics and Breastfeeding Safety

  Resource: Lesley Hammerschmidt, Nebraska Dietitians Newsletter.