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NICU Family Support®
Your gift helps provide comfort and support to families with a baby in the NICU.
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History milestones
From polio to prematurity. Explore our history of protecting America's babies and children.
12-Month Pregnancy Program
- We have volunteer opportunities for students and advisors of all ages.
- Youth can get involved in awareness, fundraising and advocacy.
- Team Youth includes all volunteers from elementary to college.
Online curriculum tool for family and consumer sciences teachers
Prenatal planning (3 months)
The 12-month pregnancy
Selecting medical professionals
Nutrition and exercise
Financial considerations
Medical counseling and testing
Health hazards to avoid
Importance of father’s role
Dad matters
Pregnancy (9 months)
Health matters
Health and healthy habits
Preparing for the baby
Childbirth methods
Labor and delivery
It’s time
Delivery
Hospital care
Complications of delivery
Newborn screening
Bonding with baby
Postnatal care for mom and baby
What you need to know
Premature birth
About premature birth
Causes
Care
Appendix
The 12-month pregnancy
Activity: Pregnancy is now 12 months (PDF, 59kb)
Worksheet: Pregnancy is now 12 months – student (PDF, 36kb)
Worksheet: Pregnancy is now 12 months – teacher (PDF, 58kb)
Selecting medical professionals
Article: Choosing your prenatal care provider
Activity: Are you ready for a baby (PDF, 71kb)
Nutrition and exercise
Article: Keep moving, for yourself and your baby
Article and video: Overweight and obesity during pregnancy
Article: 10 steps for getting a healthy pregnancy
Article: Folic acid before you’re pregnant
Activity: Folic acid quiz – student (PDF, 50kb)
Activity: Folic acid quiz – teacher (PDF, 51kb)
Article and video: Folic acid for a healthy pregnancy and baby
Article: Vitamins and minerals during pregnancy
Financial considerations
Article: Are you ready financially?
Medical counseling and testing
Article: Genetic counseling
Article: Birth defects: what they are and how they happen
Activity: Birth defects exercise 1 (PDF, 68kb)
Activity: Birth defects exercise 2 (PDF, 63kb)
Article: Sexually transmitted infections
Health hazards to avoid
Article: Smoking during pregnancy
Article: Marijuana
Article: Ecstasy, methamphetamine and other amphetamines
Article and video: Drinking alcohol during pregnancy
Importance of father’s role
Dad matters
Article: Becoming a dad
Article: Helping out during pregnancy
Pregnancy (9 months)
Health matters
Article: The ABCs of a healthy pregnancy
Activity: Pregnancy (PDF, 55kb)
Article: Getting pregnant
Article: How will you know you’re pregnant?
Article and videos: How your baby grows
Activity: How your baby grows (PDF, 66kb)
Health and healthy habits
Article and video: Eating the right foods for you and your baby
Activity: Eating healthy (PDF, 57kb)
Article: Vitamins and minerals during pregnancy
Article: Weight gain during pregnancy
Activity: Weight gain during pregnancy (PDF, 59kb)
Article and video: Overweight and obesity during pregnancy
Article: Breast changes
Article: Stress
Article: Contractions
Article: Fatigue
Article: Exercise during pregnancy
Article: Conditions that make exercise dangerous during pregnancy
Article: Prenatal care helps keep you and your baby healthy
Preparing for the baby
Article: Childbirth education classes
Article: Baby makes three. Are you ready?
Childbirth methods
Article: Home birth
Article and video: C-section: Medical reasons
Article: C-section by request
Article: Inducing labor
Article: Induction by request
Article: Why at least 39 weeks is best for your baby
Labor and delivery
It’s time
Article: When baby is really on the way
Article and video: Signs of labor
Article and video: Stages of labor
Article and video: Coping with labor pain
Delivery
Article and video: Stages of labor
Hospital care
Article and video: At the hospital
Complications of delivery
Article: Signs and symptoms of preterm labor and what to do
Newborn screening
Article and video: Recommended newborn screening tests
Bonding with baby
Article: Newborn care in the delivery room
Postnatal care for mom and baby
What you need to know
Article: How your body changes after birth
Article and videos: Baby’s home. What now?
Premature birth
About premature birth
Article: The serious problem of premature birth
Activity: Prematurity statistics (PDF, 56kb)
Activity: March of Dimes milestones (PDF, 62kb)
Article: The emotional toll
Article: Premature birth report card
Causes
Article: Premature labor and birth: A serious pregnancy complication
Care
Article: Continuing medical care
Activity: Try breathing like a preemie (PDF, 64kb)
Article: Getting services for your baby
Appendix
FCCLA Star Event: Focus on Children (PDF, 63kb)
Glossary (PDF, 63kb)
Megan McGlinchey
Serving more than 700 families a year, March of Dimes NICU Family Support at Christiana Hospital in Delaware is a vital program, and Megan McGlinchey knows it ...more
National Youth Council
Meet our top youth leaders making a difference for babies.
