Maternal & Child Health (MCH) - Information for Parents of Newborn Children
During the 2005 Regular 79th legislative session, legislators passed Senate Bill 316. This bill requires hospitals, birthing centers, physicians, nurse-midwives, and midwives who provide prenatal care to pregnant women during gestation or at delivery to provide the woman and the father of the infant or other adult caregiver of the infant with a resource pamphlet that includes information on postpartum depression, shaken baby syndrome, immunizations, and newborn screening. Providers must document in the client's chart that she received this information and documentation must be retained for a minimum of five years. It is recommended that the information be given twice, once at the first prenatal visit and again after delivery. Additional details of the law can be located in the Texas Health and Safety Code Section 161.501.
Agency responsibilities: The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been directed to develop a resource that contains the required information, make the resource available online and for distribution in English and Spanish, and update the information on a regularly.
You can get this pamphlet in .PDF format by downloading it from here:
Information for Parents of Newborns
Or you may order it directly through the HHSC Warehouse or call them at (512) 250-7162 for assistance with your order. This publication is in stock.
The stock numbers are:
#1-316 - English
#1-316a - Spanish
Another useful resource for new parents is the Pregnancy, Parenting, and Depression Resource web page.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Issues Statement on Pregnancy Health and COVID-19
On October 25, 2022, the CDC provided updated information. What You Need to Know:
- To maximize protection from variants and prevent possibly spreading the virus to others, wear a mask indoors in public in areas with a high COVID-19 Community Level. People who are pregnant or have other conditions that could put them at higher risk for severe illness should speak with their healthcare provider about wearing a mask in public indoor spaces at the medium COVID-19 Community Level.
- Although the overall risks are low, if you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to people who are not pregnant. Additionally, if you have COVID-19 during pregnancy, you are at increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and developing baby.
- Having certain underlying medical conditions, and other factors, including age, can further increase the risk for getting very sick from COVID-19 during or recently after pregnancy (for at least 42 days following end of pregnancy).
- People who are pregnant or recently pregnant and those who live with or visit them should take steps to protect themselves from getting sick with COVID-19.
Despite this CDC recommendation and evidence indicating that COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and effective during pregnancy, currently only 20% of pregnant women received an updated booster dose prior to or during pregnancy. That percentage drops to 7.9% for Hispanic or Latino pregnant women.
Find where to get vaccinated near you on the federal Vaccine Finder website.
Additionally, the general public and health care providers can access the Maternal and Child Health Bureau-funded resource, MotherToBaby, via chat, text, phone, and email to receive up-to-date, evidence-based information on the effects of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
COVID-19 and Pregnancy Poster
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) TexasAIM program developed a free poster in English and Spanish to educate pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding and people trying to get pregnant now or in the future, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Download the posters by clicking the links below. These posters can be put in hospitals, clinics or other places where families visit.
- English color poster (PDF)
- English black and white poster (PDF)
- Spanish color poster (PDF)
- Spanish black and white poster (PDF)
Order printed copies of the 17 X 24 posters from the DSHS print shop.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and help to protect mothers and babies. There is no evidence of miscarriages, stillbirths, or preterm births linked to COVID-19 vaccines. We need your help to encourage this population to let moms know about their option to get vaccinated. Together we can help protect Texas mothers, mothers-to-be and babies against COVID-19. More COVID-19 vaccine information is available on the DSHS coronavirus webpage.
External links are informational and do not have the endorsement of the Department of State Health Services. These sites may also not be accessible to persons with disabilities.