ABSTRACT
Prenatal care has been the health service relied on to decrease low birthweight and improve the outcome of pregnancy and the life chances of children at risk. Women with insufficient prenatal care have twice the low birthweight risk of women receiving adequate care, resulting in greater infant mortality and morbidity. Use of prenatal care varies widely with the financial and educational status of women, their age, ethnicity, culture, and place of residence. Inability to pay is the greatest barrier to obtaining prenatal care. Most women begin childbearing in their twenties, when family incomes are modest. Many women do not receive prenatal care in the United States because they cannot afford it. Each of the many committees, panels, and groups that have studied prenatal care, low birthweight, and infant mortality has made similar recommendations. Women must have universal early access to birth control, prenatal care, and maternity benefits, and health care must be available for infants and children.
