Low Birth Weight
Making sure that your baby reaches a healthy weight is essential for their long-term overall health.
Want a healthy pregnancy and baby?
For a newborn, every ounce of weight matters. Several factors can prevent your baby from reaching a healthy weight. Weighing less than five pounds, eight ounces at birth can cause a lifetime of health complications, according to the March of Dimes.
A low birth weight baby may have problems breathing, gaining weight, or fighting off infections. Later in life, they’re also more likely to have learning and developmental disabilities and health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Low birth weight could mean a lifetime of challenges for both mom and baby.
Blue Cross Complete of Michigan provides medications and connections to community resources and programs that can help you have a healthy pregnancy and keep your baby at a healthy weight.
Our Bright Start® maternity program offers care and support to help you have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Plus, you can earn rewards through the program. To find out more about Bright Start or to enroll in the program, call 1-888-288-1722 and select option 2. We’re available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. TTY users, call 1-888-987-5832.
Smoking and vaping
Smoking and vaping during pregnancy can cause low birth weight. Some causes for low birth weight are out of your control, but deciding to quit smoking or vaping is a change you can make today. Taking steps to quit can make a big difference. The good news is, the sooner you stop smoking, the more you increase your chance of having a healthy baby.
Smoking during pregnancy makes you three and a half times more likely to have a low birth weight baby than women who don’t smoke. This means one out of every five babies born to mothers who smoke will be born too small or too early, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All types of smoke, including vapes (also called e-cigarettes) and marijuana, can have this effect. So can “secondhand smoke,” which is inhaled when you’re around people who are smoking.
Smoking is a risk factor that you have the power to control. Let us help you find some peace of mind and give you the best chance of having a healthy baby.
Thinking about quitting?
Wherever you are in your pregnancy or family planning process, quitting will benefit your baby. Considering quitting even if you suspect you might become pregnant. It’s hard, but we’re here to help. If you’ve already tried to quit smoking, try again with us. Even reducing the amount you smoke during pregnancy can help your baby’s health.
Our no-cost Tobacco Quit Program offers special resources for pregnant women. You’ll receive nine counseling calls, one dedicated female quit coach and gift card rewards for keeping appointments. All Quitline counseling is confidential and has no cost to you.
Visit michigan.quitlogix.org or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to enroll in our Tobacco Quit Program.
What to expect when you call
Your quit coach will help you do your best for yourself and your baby by:
- Helping you enroll (it’s simple)
- Signing you up to receive text messages, if you want them
- Working with you to choose a quit date and build a personal quit plan
- Identifying your motivations and triggers
- Planning for stresses and new triggers that may come with pregnancy
- Explaining the effects of smoking on babies and children
For more information visit our Pregnancy Care page or read more about our Tobacco Quit Program. You can also visit our Community Resource Hub to find quit smoking support groups and services in your area.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure can be dangerous in pregnancy. According to the March of Dimes, high blood pressure in pregnancy can cause kidney, liver and brain damage, blood clots, seizures and stroke in pregnant people. It can also lead to low birth weight.
Signs of high blood pressure can include:
- A very bad or ongoing headache that doesn’t go away with rest or medicine.
- Changes in vision, such as sensitivity to light, blurred vision, double vision, or flashing lights.
- Nausea, throwing up or pain in the upper stomach.
- Sudden weight gain and more swelling, especially in the hands, face and around the eyes.
- Urinating less than usual or not at all.
No cost blood pressure monitors
Blue Cross Complete members can receive a blood pressure monitor during pregnancy and after delivery at no cost. Ask your health care provider for a prescription for a blood pressure monitor.
Stress
People can have different feelings during pregnancy. It’s common to feel worried, sad or nervous from time to time.
Worrying too much during pregnancy can affect you and your baby. According to the March of Dimes, stress during pregnancy can impact sleep, blood pressure and your appetite. It can also increase your risk for preeclampsia, preterm birth and low birth weight. Managing stress during pregnancy is important.
Tips to ease stress in pregnancy:
- Eat whole foods, such as leafy greens, lean meats and healthy fats.
- Do low-impact exercises, such as walking.
- Practice deep breathing and meditation.
- Ask for help from your family, friends or your health care provider.
Talk to your provider about options if stress becomes difficult to manage.
Full-term pregnancy
Babies need time. It’s best for babies to be born after 39 weeks. According to the March of Dimes, at 39 weeks:
- Organs such as the brain, lungs and liver get the time they need to develop.
- Your baby is less likely to have vision and hearing problems after birth.
- Your baby has time to gain more weight, which helps them stay warm after birth.
- Your baby can suck, swallow and stay awake long enough to eat after birth.
Vaginal birth is the best way to have your baby if there’s no medical reason for you to induce labor or have a C-section, according to the March of Dimes. If there are problems with your health or your baby’s health, you may need to have your baby early. If your pregnancy and baby are healthy, it’s best to stay pregnant for at least 39 weeks. Talk to your health care provider about what’s best for you and your baby.
Diabetes
Diabetes is an illness where your blood sugar is too high. If it’s not taken care of the right way by a health care provider, you can have lifelong health problems. According to the March of Dimes, chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, can cause low birth weight. High blood sugar in the beginning of your pregnancy can raise the risk of problems for you and your baby. Keeping your blood sugar in control, with your providers help, will lower your risk of problems.
Blue Cross Complete members can join a special program to help manage diabetes. Visit our Special Programs for more information, including how to join.
Smoking and vaping
Smoking and vaping during pregnancy can cause low birth weight. Some causes for low birth weight are out of your control, but deciding to quit smoking or vaping is a change you can make today. Taking steps to quit can make a big difference. The good news is, the sooner you stop smoking, the more you increase your chance of having a healthy baby.
Smoking during pregnancy makes you three and a half times more likely to have a low birth weight baby than women who don’t smoke. This means one out of every five babies born to mothers who smoke will be born too small or too early, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All types of smoke, including vapes (also called e-cigarettes) and marijuana, can have this effect. So can “secondhand smoke,” which is inhaled when you’re around people who are smoking.
Smoking is a risk factor that you have the power to control. Let us help you find some peace of mind and give you the best chance of having a healthy baby.
Thinking about quitting?
Wherever you are in your pregnancy or family planning process, quitting will benefit your baby. Considering quitting even if you suspect you might become pregnant. It’s hard, but we’re here to help. If you’ve already tried to quit smoking, try again with us. Even reducing the amount you smoke during pregnancy can help your baby’s health.
Our no-cost Tobacco Quit Program offers special resources for pregnant women. You’ll receive nine counseling calls, one dedicated female quit coach and gift card rewards for keeping appointments. All Quitline counseling is confidential and has no cost to you.
Visit michigan.quitlogix.org or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to enroll in our Tobacco Quit Program.
What to expect when you call
Your quit coach will help you do your best for yourself and your baby by:
- Helping you enroll (it’s simple)
- Signing you up to receive text messages, if you want them
- Working with you to choose a quit date and build a personal quit plan
- Identifying your motivations and triggers
- Planning for stresses and new triggers that may come with pregnancy
- Explaining the effects of smoking on babies and children
For more information visit our Pregnancy Care page or read more about our Tobacco Quit Program. You can also visit our Community Resource Hub to find quit smoking support groups and services in your area.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure can be dangerous in pregnancy. According to the March of Dimes, high blood pressure in pregnancy can cause kidney, liver and brain damage, blood clots, seizures and stroke in pregnant people. It can also lead to low birth weight.
Signs of high blood pressure can include:
- A very bad or ongoing headache that doesn’t go away with rest or medicine.
- Changes in vision, such as sensitivity to light, blurred vision, double vision, or flashing lights.
- Nausea, throwing up or pain in the upper stomach.
- Sudden weight gain and more swelling, especially in the hands, face and around the eyes.
- Urinating less than usual or not at all.
No cost blood pressure monitors
Blue Cross Complete members can receive a blood pressure monitor during pregnancy and after delivery at no cost. Ask your health care provider for a prescription for a blood pressure monitor.
Stress
People can have different feelings during pregnancy. It’s common to feel worried, sad or nervous from time to time.
Worrying too much during pregnancy can affect you and your baby. According to the March of Dimes, stress during pregnancy can impact sleep, blood pressure and your appetite. It can also increase your risk for preeclampsia, preterm birth and low birth weight. Managing stress during pregnancy is important.
Tips to ease stress in pregnancy:
- Eat whole foods, such as leafy greens, lean meats and healthy fats.
- Do low-impact exercises, such as walking.
- Practice deep breathing and meditation.
- Ask for help from your family, friends or your health care provider.
Talk to your provider about options if stress becomes difficult to manage.
Full-term pregnancy
Babies need time. It’s best for babies to be born after 39 weeks. According to the March of Dimes, at 39 weeks:
- Organs such as the brain, lungs and liver get the time they need to develop.
- Your baby is less likely to have vision and hearing problems after birth.
- Your baby has time to gain more weight, which helps them stay warm after birth.
- Your baby can suck, swallow and stay awake long enough to eat after birth.
Vaginal birth is the best way to have your baby if there’s no medical reason for you to induce labor or have a C-section, according to the March of Dimes. If there are problems with your health or your baby’s health, you may need to have your baby early. If your pregnancy and baby are healthy, it’s best to stay pregnant for at least 39 weeks. Talk to your health care provider about what’s best for you and your baby.
Diabetes
Diabetes is an illness where your blood sugar is too high. If it’s not taken care of the right way by a health care provider, you can have lifelong health problems. According to the March of Dimes, chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, can cause low birth weight. High blood sugar in the beginning of your pregnancy can raise the risk of problems for you and your baby. Keeping your blood sugar in control, with your providers help, will lower your risk of problems.
Blue Cross Complete members can join a special program to help manage diabetes. Visit our Special Programs for more information, including how to join.