Physicians can now distribute to patients a comprehensive guide to new parenthood, recently revised and released by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Maternal and Child Health Section.
Information for Parents of Newborns, available in English and Spanish at no cost in electronic and print formats, provides patient education and resources for distribution by any Texas hospital, birthing center, physician, or midwife who provides prenatal care to a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery of an infant.
Physicians can order print copies of the 44-page brochure at no charge from the Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) website. There is a limit of 250 publications per order, but physicians and health care professionals can place multiple orders each month, DSHS notes. A new bilingual rack card is also available at no charge through HHS.
The publication, which relaunched in September, fulfills the state’s mandate for practitioners of prenatal care to provide new parents with a resource pamphlet that includes information on postpartum depression, shaken baby syndrome, immunizations, and newborn screening. The "comprehensive, usable resource” also addresses emerging maternal and infant health concerns and population needs, DSHS wrote in an email.
Topics newly addressed in the handbook include information on the prevention and treatment of congenital syphilis as case rates continue to rise, intimate partner violence, and recognition of urgent maternal warning signs to combat maternal morbidity and mortality.
Additionally, the resource offers mental health support and guidance for new parents, with perinatal depression symptom checklists that patients can complete and bring to medical appointments, a link to a postpartum plan template, and tips for self-care after delivery.
While the publication features a raft of linked resources readers can navigate to directly from the online edition, it also lists the phone numbers of several hotlines spanning a wide range of services and support for new parents, such as the Texas Poison Control Hotline and the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
Jessica Ridge
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1395