Postpartum Health – After Baby & Beyond

Your doctor needs to monitor you as you heal and if you don’t already have your postpartum checkup(s) scheduled, please call your doctor and get that on the calendar.

Your first postpartum checkup should be scheduled three weeks after giving birth and the second postpartum checkup should be scheduled before the twelve week mark after giving birth – both visits should be completed within three months of Baby’s birth and be in-person with your doctor. This handy Flyer on Postpartum Checkups will explain the checkups and what to expect.

The doctor will want to also monitor Baby through regular checkups. The first checkup will likely happen within a week of birth and the doctor will ask questions about the first few days at home with Baby. Ongoing, these checkups will cover physical exams, immunizations, and tracking Baby’s growth and development – exciting! There is more information on what the doctor will cover during Baby’s checkups and how often these visits will be scheduled.

Breastfeeding Baby has so many health benefits for Baby’s growth and development. It’s also a great way for you to burn extra calories to help lose pregnancy weight and help your body heal! If you find you need some extra support and help getting the hang of breastfeeding, check out this list of breastfeeding resources!

With more states legalizing the use of recreational marijuana, it has been found that more women of childbearing age are using it, and byproducts can be found in breastmilk. “In the largest study to date, which included eight breastfeeding women, the amount of THC detected in pumped breast milk ranged from 0.4%-8.7% of the maternal dose, with an estimated mean of 2.5%. Using these data, the average absolute infant dose was estimated to be 8 micrograms per kilogram per day.” Read more about cannabis and breastmilk.

The Healthy Babies, Happy Moms Program is happy to support moms who want to breastfeed! They partnered with the Wyoming Department of Health to offer electric breast pumps to Wyoming Medicaid moms!

Order your pump. Visit the Wyoming Medicaid Happy Moms Program webpage to get started. This is a two part process – part your doctor will complete and part you will complete.

1. Print the Prescription Form – or kindly ask your doctor to print it for you since they will need to fill it out. Once your doctor has filled it out, your doctor can fax it to: 844-276-5457.
2. Also on the Happy Moms Program webpage, you will need to scroll down to the bottom and click, “PLACE MY ORDER” – this will prompt you for some additional information that the Happy Moms Program needs before they can send you a pump. When you get to the question about payment, press the “Continue” button – do not enter credit card information – leave it blank, your Medicaid insurance will be billed.

Once your pump is shipped, you’ll receive an email confirmation. Free shipping is included. Please note, you must be at least 28 weeks along in your pregnancy before you’ll be able to receive your breast pump.

If you have local friends and family, it’s nice when they can share meals or bring over food after you come home from the hospital with Baby – let them help you if they can! Let your friends and family mother YOU a little – if they ask you how you are – be honest – so they can help you with things you may need, share their perspective, or cheer you on!

As your body is healing, if you don’t feel “right” or “good” – speak up! If you’re in more pain than you were prepared for or bleeding more than you thought you would – speak up! You know your body better than anyone else and if something doesn’t feel right, get a hold of your doctor ASAP! If it’s after-hours, the nurses at the 24/7 nurse line can help you talk through what is going on and advise you on what to do next. Please call toll-free 888-545-1710, press #2 (TTY: 711) to speak to a nurse.

Wyoming Hand in Hand is sponsored through the Public Health Division as a home visitation program where a nurse comes to your home and visits with you about your pregnancy and then after delivery – how things are going after bringing Baby home. The nurse will support you and your family through Baby’s 2nd birthday! The goal of the program is to help Wyoming families raise healthy babies in a healthy home!

The nurse will help you with understanding Baby to promote bonding and attachment and work through healthy topics like: nutrition, social support, and physical activity for you and Baby. The program can help you develop a budget, support you to solve problems that come up in your life, screen you for postpartum depression, and intimate partner harm in order to connect you with additional support and resources that you may need.     

You can visit the Wyoming Hand in Hand website for more information. Or, if you know you’re ready to be a part of the FREE program, please complete the referral questions, and Wyoming Hand in Hand will reach out to you! 

Parents as Teachers is a FREE parental support and child development program! You’re welcome to enroll during pregnancy or if you have a child under two years old. After signing up, you’ll meet with a certified parent educator who can come to you in your home or meet you out in the community. Together, you’ll focus on fun activities to promote child growth, parenting topics like attachment and sleep, and family well-being. These are opportunities to socialize your kiddos and gives you the opportunity to interact with other parents who are on the journey of parenting – just like you!

Parents as Teachers will serve your family through your child’s 3rd birthday, or in some circumstances, will support your family until your child turns 5 (or transitions to kindergarten).

You can visit the Parents as Teachers Website for more information. Or, if you know you’re ready to be a part of the FREE program, you can call 307-632-0032 or complete the referral questions, email it to PAT@wycrp.org, and Parents as Teachers will reach out to you!

If you or baby gets sick you might wonder about whether to go to the emergency room, a walk-in clinic, or wait and schedule an appointment with your doctor – don’t worry! Our 24/7 Nurse Line will help you in these situations. Please call toll-free 888-545-1710 (Press #2) to speak to a nurse. Nurses can answer health questions you have, give you information to help you make health decisions, and help you understand any medications you’re taking. This is a benefit for Wyoming Medicaid members only – please have your Medicaid ID number ready when you call.

If you think you have a medical emergency, immediately dial 911.

If you feel you would benefit from talking to a nurse regularly about any ongoing health conditions or Baby’s health conditions, please contact our WYhealth Care Management Program.

Smoking is harmful to moms and babies. Quitting is super hard and the Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program is ready to help you! They can help you develop a personalized quit plan; provide free gum, patches, and more; quit coaches; and 24/7 support and tools. Those who use with the Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program are 3 times more likely to quit.

The Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program wants to see you quit smoking for your health and baby’s health. You’re eligible for incentives for your participation too:

• $10 Visa prepaid gift card for each coaching call completed while pregnant (up to $50).
• $20 Visa prepaid gift card for each coaching call completed after pregnancy (up to $80).

For more information on the Pregnancy and Postpartum Cessation Program and how it can help you and baby, click HERE.

Ready to get started? Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).

The Wyoming Department of Family Services has a few food assistance programs that might be helpful for you:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides monthly benefits that help low-income households buy food needed for good health;
• The Cent$ible Nutrition Program offers free cooking and nutrition education classes for both children and adults throughout Wyoming; and,
• The Emergency Food and Commodity Assistance is a partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies to provide emergency food commodity assistance.

The Wyoming Department of Health, Public Health Division oversees the Women, Infant, and Children Program (WIC) that can assist with healthy food, nutrition education, and breastfeeding guidance. 

The Wyoming Department of Family Services has several housing, utilities, and energy assistance programs that might be helpful for you. The following links will guide you to more information as well as how to apply for these benefits:

• The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) program is available to renters struggling to make rent and utility payments due to COVID-19;
• The Homeowners Assistance Fund (HAF) is being created to help provide assistance with mortgage and utility cost relief;
• The Low Income Energy Assistance (LIEAP) program helps pay part of winter home heating bills November through May;
• The Weatherization Assistance Program helps households save money on home heating costs by improving their energy efficiency;
• The Wyoming Homeless Services Program partners with the Wyoming Homeless Collaborative to assist individuals (including unaccompanied youth) and families experiencing homelessness; and,
• The Telephone Assistance (Lifeline) which is a federal discount program that lowers the monthly cost of phone or internet service.

The Wyoming Department of Family Services has a cash assistance program that might be helpful for you. The following link will guide you to more information as well as how to apply: 

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provides temporary cash assistance for families in need. There are two forms of TANF but the POWER Work Program to help individuals find employment or other forms of financial stability based specifically on YOUR needs and also provides free Child Support assistance.

The Wyoming Department of Family Services has a child care assistance program that might be helpful for you. There is Child Care Financial Assistance in Wyoming that can provide assistance to pay for the cost of child care when the parent(s) are working or in school or training. The parent(s)’s income is taken into consideration and the parent(s) may be responsible for paying for part of the cost of care.

If the answer to that question is anything other than “no” – we need to get you connected with help right now. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline @ 800-273-8255 (English) or 800-628-9454 (Spanish) or you can even chat with someone if you’re more comfortable.

Please bring up these feelings with your doctor, counselor, or OB/GYN too – they will help you! Sometimes we spin around in our heads and forget that there are people who love us, who need us, and who we matter to that would drop what they are doing in an instant if they knew we needed to talk.

Using substances like drugs and alcohol can hurt your ability to care for your baby, affect your ability to be the best version of yourself, and can cause physical health problems as well as hurt your ability to meet your responsibilities at work, school, and home. Individuals will often keep using drugs and alcohol even if it’s causing problems in their life – in the short term, these substances make us feel good or cover pain, but hurt us big time in the long run. 

A substance use treatment provider is a professional trained to help those using drugs and alcohol and can also help treat root causes of substance use. There are Community Substance Use Treatment Providers available to you, regardless of your ability to pay. These are the professionals who can help you to end dependence on drugs and alcohol.

The ebb and flow of life can feel different to different people – causing some to feel distress or that something “just isn’t right.” It’s important to seek help when you start to feel this way. There seems to be a perception that we can “pull ourselves up by the bootstraps” – but that approach doesn’t work for everyone all the time. We all walk a different path and it’s necessary to seek the help of a professional who can work with you through your feelings. There are Community Mental Health Services available to you, regardless of your ability to pay. These are the professionals who can help you through postpartum depression, anxiety, and more!

If you no longer qualify for a full-benefit Medicaid health plan and you now have the option to join your partner’s health plan – please get yourself and Baby added as new dependents. Rules vary for doing this in a timely manner – the sooner the better – so make sure to contact the Human Resources department at your partner’s workplace to get this started.

If you don’t qualify for a full-benefit Medicaid health plan, an alternative you need to explore is coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The Marketplace will ask you questions about your income and determine what you could be expected to pay for the plan you select. Since you had a baby, this qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period – just make sure you apply for Marketplace coverage within 60 days of Baby’s birth to be eligible for the Special Enrollment Period or you will have to wait until open enrollment, which typically runs November 1 through January 15.

As another benefit, the Pregnant by Choice Program offers birth control and reproductive support services to women losing full Medicaid benefits under the Pregnant Women Program. It covers certain services and prescriptions that includes: birth control (including Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARCs)), annual pap smears, sexually transmitted disease testing, and more! To apply for the Pregnant by Choice Program, please call 1-855-294-2127.