Texting for Baby's Sake

Here's a sign of the times:  starting now, expectant moms-to-be can get healthy pregnancy tips sent directly to their cell phones!  It's all part of a new campaign, called text4baby, by the White House to reduce the number of premature births and infant mortality rate, which are often caused by stress, bad eating habits, smoking and drinking. 

Why the need?  Because the U.S. ranks 30th in the world when it comes to infant mortality.  According to the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition--a nonprofit group--about half a million babies are born prematurely each year in the U.S. and about 28,000 babies die before reaching their first birthday.

The idea behind the campaign is to deliver wellness tips to as many people as possible, especially low-income people who may not have the best access to quality pre- and post-natal care.  But everyone (90%) of people in the U.S. have cell phones and this could potentially have great consequences.

And, it's free!  Cell phone carriers have agreed to waive all the fees for receiving the texts.  All you have to do is text "BABY" to 511411 and you'll start receiving the weekly messages, which are timed to yoru due date or your baby's birth date. The messages have all been vetted by government and nonprofit health experts. It's the largest health-related texting program every undertaken.

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