Prenatal Care: Fact vs Fiction

There are plenty of well-intentioned opinions about how you should take care of yourself during pregnancy. Of course, you want to make sure you’re doing everything right to protect your health and the health of your baby, but how do you know what to believe?

We’re going to sort through these four common myths, so you know what to trust.

1. “You need to eat double of what you normally eat.”
You don’t have to double the amount of food you eat while you’re pregnant. It’s actually recommended that you eat just 300 extra calories daily.

2. “Any caffeine at all will hurt your baby.”
It’s true that a high intake of caffeine might increase the risk of miscarriage. That doesn’t mean that if you drink caffeine at all, you’ll lose the baby. Pregnant women can safely drink 200mg of caffeine each day, which is about two cups of coffee or tea. If you want to cut caffeine out altogether, try drinking herbal tea, taking a quick walk to wake you up, and remembering to hydrate!

3. “You need to take tons of vitamins while pregnant.”
It’s important to get enough folic acid. But if you’re eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and dairy, you don’t need to take vitamins throughout the pregnancy.

4. “It’s okay to have one or two drinks of alcohol a week.”
There is no safe amount of alcohol for a woman to drink during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol while pregnant risks miscarriage, stillbirth, and other health problems for the baby.

By reading this article, you’re taking all the right steps to take care of yourself and the baby that’s on its way!

Here are some benefits that Vivida offers for when your little one arrives:

• Unlimited PCP visits
• $25/month over-the-counter benefit which can apply to items like diaper cream and baby wipes. These supplies can be shipped right to your home
• Free electric breast pump, and more

Visit vividahealth.com to learn about our pregnancy-related benefit.

Vivida Health is a Managed Care Plan with a Florida Medicaid Contract. The benefit information provided is a brief summary, not a complete description of benefits. For more information, contact the Managed Care Plan. Limitations, copayments and/or restrictions may apply. Benefits, formulary, pharmacy network, premium and/or co-payments/co-insurance may change. Vivida Health is a Medicaid Health Plan serving Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee, and Sarasota counties.