Area Babies Healthy Despite Early Prenatal Care Gap

By Ashley Gebb, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.

Jun. 23–Yuba and Sutter counties rank close to last in the state for early prenatal care, data shows.

Early prenatal care, which is in the first trimester of pregnancy, has been historically low in rural counties, said Judy Mikesell, senior public health nurse in the Sutter County Health Department.

With 68 percent of mothers receiving early prenatal care, Sutter County ranked 53rd of the 58 California counties.

Yuba County ranked 56th, with 65 percent of women receiving care in the first trimester, according to a report from the 2007 California Counties Data Book released Thursday.

Sutter County has ranked low for years, Mikesell said. The primary problem was a lack of prenatal care providers, but that no longer is the case.

In 1998, the county surveyed almost every woman who started care after the first trimester to find out why they waited, she said.

The responses varied, but it appeared the problem is women’s personal dynamics, Mikesell said.

Mikesell said explanations included:

–”I didn’t know I was pregnant.”

–”I didn’t get tested until the second trimester.”

–”I had a previous pregnancy without prenatal care, and my baby turned out OK.”

Also, many teens don’t get early prenatal care because they are in denial, Mikesell explained. If teens don’t get checked, they figure no one will tell them they are pregnant.

Teen birth rates in Sutter and Yuba counties are 44 and 61 per 1,000 births, respectively.

Low early prenatal care numbers are not easily solved because they are not caused by lack of access, and it’s not easy to change women’s personal habits.

Mikesell said the county started an intensive awareness program several years ago, using posters and billboards to encourage women to get prenatal care. It didn’t have a large effect.

But, Mikesell added, despite the low percentage, it does not appear to be affecting babies’ health. The area has low infant mortality, and deaths are rarely related to a lack of early prenatal care.

“If you look at low birth weights, we are actually better than the state,” Mikesell said. “We’re having healthy babies.”

Intern Ashley Gebb can be reached at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.

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