Pregnancy & adoption

Lesson 1

If you might be pregnant

1. Take a test. Home tests are most accurate starting the day after a missed period, and more accurate a week later. If it’s negative and you still think you might be pregnant, test again in a few days.
2. See a clinician. They can confirm the pregnancy, check on your health and talk through your next steps with you.
3. Get covered. Apple Health covers pregnancy care for Washington residents who qualify by income, regardless of immigration status, and keeps covering you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends. Apply at wahealthplanfinder.org or call 1-855-923-4633.
4. Care for yourself early. If you could become pregnant, the U.S. Public Health Service recommends 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, to help prevent major birth defects of the brain and spine. A clinician can help you plan prenatal visits and where to give birth.
5. Lean on support. The Help Me Grow Washington Hotline, 1-800-322-2588, helps families find food, WIC, health coverage, baby supplies and parenting support.

Lesson 2

A healthy pregnancy

• Start prenatal care early, in the first trimester and ideally before 10 weeks. A typical schedule is a visit every 4 weeks until about 28 weeks, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, then every week, and your clinician may adjust it.
• Avoid alcohol completely. “There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during your pregnancy,” according to the CDC.
• Avoid smoking, vaping, marijuana and other drugs. For free help quitting, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
• Be careful with some foods: deli meats and hot dogs unless heated until steaming hot; raw or undercooked meat, eggs, fish or shellfish, including sushi; unpasteurized milk, juice and soft cheeses; and fish high in mercury, like shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.
• A full-term pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks from the first day of your last period, and only about 1 in 20 babies arrive on their due date.

Lesson 3

Warning signs to never ignore

The CDC’s Hear Her campaign says to get medical care right away for any of these during pregnancy, and to tell the provider you’re pregnant:

• A headache that won’t go away or gets worse
• Dizziness or fainting
• Changes in your vision
• A fever of 100.4°F or higher
• Extreme swelling of your hands or face
• Thoughts about harming yourself or your baby
• Trouble breathing
• Chest pain or a fast-beating heart
• Severe nausea and throwing up
• Severe belly pain that doesn’t go away
• Your baby’s movements stopping or slowing
• Vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking
• Severe swelling, redness or pain in a leg or arm
• Overwhelming tiredness

Lesson 4

You don’t have to decide alone

Lesson 5

Adoption

• Adoption is a loving choice, and it’s free for birth parents. These licensed Washington agencies let you choose the family and how much contact to keep: Antioch Adoptions in Redmond, 24/7 pregnancy line 425-529-3943, and Open Arms Adoption on Mercer Island, 206-492-4196. In Washington, a consent to adoption has no effect until a judge approves it, at least 48 hours after the birth, and you can change your mind until then.
• Washington’s 24-hour newborn line helps with parenting support, temporary placement options and adoption information: 1-888-510-2229

Lesson 6

Washington’s Safe Haven law

A parent can safely leave a newborn less than 72 hours old with staff at a hospital emergency department, at a fire station while firefighters are there, or at a federally designated rural health clinic during its hours. No name is required, and the parent won’t be prosecuted for abandonment.

Check yourself

Myth or fact?

Questions people ask

Asked and answered.