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Home › Articles › General Health › On the Record

On the Record

Organizing Baby's Health Information

By Laura Cone

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Sember suggests calling or e-mailing relatives while you are pregnant to compile a list of diseases that run in the family. Record the known causes of death for people in your family. "When you go in for your first visit with your obstetrician or with your midwife, they will ask you to go through your family history," Sember says. "I found, in my personal experience, it's hard to sit there on the table in your little paper gown and remember what Aunt Sally died of. So I recommend after you get pregnant you take a few minutes to sit down with a chart and fill in all the diseases in your family and problems so you have a really comprehensive list, and you can go into your doctor with that." She says the list will be particularly helpful if you ever decide to see a genetic counselor.

Preparing for Emergencies
Sember offers the following suggestions for preparing for your baby's health emergencies.

  • Place an emergency card in your purse or wallet. List who to call in an emergency, your blood type, any allergies or conditions you have and what drugs you are taking.
  • Create medical consents allowing babysitters, nannies or grandparents caring for the baby to obtain health care in the parent's absence. Write up a simple consent form giving permission for the person to obtain care for your baby in your absence. Keep the form in the diaper bag.
  • Research and understand in advance what your state's newborn testing requirements are. Visit www.Savethebabies.org
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