Birmingham Archives | Babypalooza

You’re pregnant! And chances are you’re just as nervous as you are excited. You can’t wait to hold your sweet baby in your arms, but you also want to do everything you can to make sure your little one is healthy.

My Care Alabama is here to help.

What Is My Care Alabama?

My Care Alabama provides care coordination for Medicaid recipients in Alabama, including new and expecting moms. If you or your children receive Medicaid benefits and lives in the one of the eligible counties, then you may be eligible to receive care coordination services from My Care. Your My Care Alabama Care Coordinator can help you schedule doctor appointments, find transportation to appointments, and connect you with other resources you need to keep yourself and your baby healthy. The Care Coordinator can also help you understand your medicines as well as answer questions about your health care.

Prenatal and postpartum doctor visits are essential.

You probably already know that prenatal visits reduce the risks of complications during pregnancy and delivery. But those postpartum visits are just as important as they help ensure that you and your baby have a happy, healthy future.

According to the World Health Organization, most maternal and infant deaths occur in the first six weeks after delivery, yet this remains the most neglected phase in the provision of quality maternal and newborn care.

All women and newborns need postnatal checkups in the first 6 weeks after birth.

Here’s how your My Care Alabama care coordinator can help you during your pregnancy:

During your first trimester, your care coordinator will focus on getting to know you and developing the right healthy pregnancy plan for you. You’ll also learn the best way to give your growing baby the necessary nutrients.

During your second trimester, you’ll get even more educational information on growing a healthy baby as your care coordinator continues to help you plan and attend doctor’s appointments.

Your third trimester will be all about getting ready for delivery. Your care coordinator will also help you make plans for feeding your baby after birth and assist with family planning.

Care services are divided by regions.

The Northwest Region includes Bibb, Colbert, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lauderdale, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Winston, and Walker Counties.

The East Region includes Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dekalb, Etowah, Randolph, St. Clair, Talladega, and Tallapoosa Counties.

The Central Region covers Autauga, Butler, Chilton, Crenshaw, Dallas, Elmore, Lowndes, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, and Wilcox Counties.

My Care Alabama teams in each region are working hard in their areas to develop programs for the counties they serve.

My Care Alabama Northwest, in collaboration with Nurse Family Partnership, identify high risk mothers. The NFP Nurses then focus on frequent intensive home visits to ensure a healthy pregnancy and decrease the risk of infant mortality. This program will focus on Fayette, Walker, Winston, Marion, and Lamar Counties.

My Care Alabama Central has started the Strong Momma program in Butler, Lowndes, and Chilton Counties. This program helps moms establish healthy habits and good nutrition during pregnancy and assists with early enrollment in WIC. After birth, a nurse working with the program will help you successfully breast feed your baby and help prepare you for how to properly feed your baby past the first six months of life.

My Care Alabama East has partnered with the smoking cessation app Quit Genius to help pregnant Medicaid recipients quit smoking, this will focus on behavioral change vs. drug therapy to improve quit rates before, during, and after pregnancy. MCA-East is also incentivizing for prenatal and postpartum visits to improve compliance and ensure a healthier future for mother and baby.

Visit mycarealabama.org to learn more and find out if you’re eligible.