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I just found out I’m pregnant!

You’re pregnant, congratulations! Now what?

Here are a few things you can start doing right away.

Make an appointment for prenatal care

One of the best things you can do for your and your baby’s health is start getting prenatal care. Prenatal care is the care you get when you are pregnant; it is the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery. Pregnancy complications can happen even if you are healthy. The best way to avoid complications and deliver a healthy baby is by starting prenatal care early in your pregnancy.

New patients are always welcome at Vecino Health Centers. Call 713-674-3326.

Make an appointment today

Don’t wait! The best way to have a healthy pregnancy is to start prenatal care early.

New patients are always welcome.

Fine-tune your eating habits during pregnancy

Eating a healthy diet during pregnancy is important to your baby’s growth and development. In order to get the nutrients you both need, you must eat from a variety of food groups, including fruits and vegetables, bread and grains, protein sources, and dairy products.

Start taking prenatal vitamins

Although the main source of vitamins and nutrients needed during pregnancy should come from your food, a daily prenatal vitamin can help fill the gaps.

Watch more healthy pregnancy tips from the CDC.

Comprehensive maternity care at Vecino Health Centers

A team of providers dedicated to the health of you and your baby is ready to welcome you at Vecino Health Centers. Comprehensive maternity care — from conception to birth and postnatal, including onsite ultrasounds — is available at our Denver Harbor and Airline locations.

Unemployed or uninsured?

Vecino Health Centers offers financial assistance so everyone in your family can get the checkups and other care they need. You may even qualify for other benefits, we’ll help you understand your options.

Just ask about our Get Care program

4 myths about pregnancy

If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you might be hearing a lot of advice coming from all kinds of sources. For instance, your mom might be telling you one thing, your friend who has just had a baby tells you another, and the internet says something else. Of course, this is all well-meaning advice, but it’s easy to get confused and wonder if what you hear is true.

Myth about pregnancy #1: Prenatal vitamins are not necessary

All women, regardless of their age, race, or number of pregnancies, should take prenatal vitamins to make sure their baby gets a healthy start. To prevent severe birth defects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid for all women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Most prenatal multivitamins have the recommended dosage of folic acid and other essential vitamins and minerals for your baby’s development.

Myth about pregnancy #2: Prenatal care is too far away and expensive

False! Did you know that if you live in northeast Houston, you don’t have to travel far to get good prenatal care? Vecino’s Denver Harbor Family Clinic offers quality prenatal care from the time you start thinking about having a baby or when you find out you’re pregnant, all the way through delivery.

You can get all your pregnancy related care, including regular checkups, ultrasounds, postpartum care, circumcision, and behavioral health at either of Vecino Health Centers’ locations — Denver Harbor or Airline. Regular checkups are important to make sure you and your baby are healthy and strong throughout the pregnancy.

If you are worried about how much your care will cost, note that most insurance plans cover the cost of prenatal care. If you don’t have insurance, Vecino offers a financial assistance program to establish an amount you pay at each visit that is affordable for you. You won’t have to worry about any unexpected charges for tests or procedures.

Myth about pregnancy #3: Pregnant women are happy all the time

Pregnancy is a time of physical and emotional changes, and somedays you are not going to feel like yourself. That’s okay! Pregnant women don’t have to be happy all the time. There will be some days when you are going to miss the things that you did when you weren’t pregnant or feel cranky and sad for no reason at all. Let yourself feel all the emotions – both good and bad – and don’t feel guilty about feeling down or blue from time to time.

If you notice that you are feeling sad most days or you are having trouble controlling your emotions, Vecino is here to help. To make an appointment with one of our counselors, call 713-674-3326.

Myth about pregnancy #4: Pregnant women should avoid having sex

It is not true that pregnant women should avoid having sex. It is safe to have sex during all three trimesters of your pregnancy as long as you feel comfortable doing it and your doctor hasn’t advised against it.

However, you could still get a sexually transmitted infection (STI) when you are pregnant. An STI during pregnancy can be very dangerous for you and your baby. Even if you have been tested for STIs in the past, you should get tested again when you find out you are pregnant.

These are some ways you can reduce your risk of an STI:

  • Have sex only with a long-term monogamous partner who has been tested for STIs
  • Use condoms and dams regularly
  • Don’t use drugs or alcohol – using drugs or alcohol during pregnancy can harm your baby and put you at a greater risk of engaging in unsafe sex.

4 things every new dad should know about babies

Dad with newborn

Congratulations on becoming a father! Being a new dad will probably be one of the most exciting – and sometimes scary – events of your life.

While parenting is not always easy, with a little guidance, support, and trial and error, you will adjust to fatherhood in no time. 

Every new dad should know a few things about babies: how much babies sleep, why babies cry, when babies need checkups, and why dads need checkups too.  

1. Babies sleep a lot

Every baby is different; some are better sleepers than others. Newborns need plenty of sleep, so don’t be surprised if your baby seems to be sleeping for most of the day.

Newborns usually sleep for about eight or nine hours during the day and around eight hours at night. A newborn baby can sleep as many as 18 hours a day, in stretches of three to four hours at a time.

2. Crying can mean many different things

Newborns not only sleep a lot, but they cry a lot too! Crying is how babies communicate, so it is up to us as parents to figure out what their crying is trying to tell us.

As you come to know your baby more and more, it will be easier to tell what the cries mean and comfort your baby faster.

These are some things your baby could be trying to communicate when he or she is crying:

  • I need my diaper changed.
  • I’m hungry.
  • I’m bored.
  • I’d like some attention.
  • That’s too much attention.
  • I’m in pain.
  • I’m tired.
  • I’m waking up.
  • I need to poop!
  • I’m uncomfortable.

3. Babies need health checkups and immunizations

Babies grow and develop very quickly. It is important for a pediatrician or family doctor to monitor their development at Well Check Exams. Immunizations are included as part of exams, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of them or missing any.  

Vecino Health Centers follows the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and recommends that newborns get checkups at the following ages in their first year of life:

  • 3-5 days after birth
  • 2 weeks
  • 1 month
  • 2 months
  • 4 months
  • 6 months
  • 9 months
  • 12 months

You can talk with your baby’s doctor or nurse about any questions or concerns you have about your baby or being a new parent during the Well Check Exams. Whether the question is about sleeping, crying, eating, peeing, pooping, or anything else, our health care professionals will be happy to help!

New patients are welcome.

4. Your health is important

One of the most important things you can do for your children is to be a good role model by taking care of your own health.

Regular health checkups are as important for you as they are for your baby, but for different reasons. There are important vaccines that you should have when you are around a newborn, such as the one protecting you from whopping cough.

An annual checkup will help you stay healthy and can help detect diseases early, before there are any symptoms, making them easier to treat and manage. Undiagnosed and uncontrolled chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease can lead to complications like heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, and vision loss.

You can model the importance of checkups to your son or daughter right from the start.  Schedule a checkup today, and give your children the gift of a dad who cares about his health!

Unemployed or uninsured?

Don’t worry. Vecino Health Centers offers financial assistance so everyone in your family can get the checkups and other care they need. You may even qualify for other benefits, we’ll help you understand your options.

Just ask about our Get Care program