Text4Baby™ Program
In an effort to help expecting and new mothers to increase the health of their babies, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) launched Text4Baby™. This program is a free mobile information service providing pregnant women and new moms with invaluable information, via wireless texts, on an ongoing basis to help them care for their health, and also to give their babies the best possible start in life.
How it Works
Educational text messages are sent to expectant and new mothers covering topics critical to maternal and child health, in such areas as nutrition, immunization, safe sleep, birth defect prevention, mental health, seasonal flu and oral health. Text4Baby messages also connect women to prenatal and infant care services and other critical resources in their local areas.
What You Can Do
Registering online is free at www.text4baby.org, or you can sign up right from your cellphone. Simply text the word ‘BABY’ (or ‘BEBE’ for Spanish-language messaging) to #511411. You’ll then be asked to enter your baby’s due date, or your baby’s birthday, along with your zip code.
Right away, you’ll start receiving free text messages with tips for your pregnancy and caring for your baby. These messages are timed to your due date or to your baby’s birth date. If your due date changes, you can always text ‘UPDATE’ to #511411, and enter your new due date.
Partners
Text4Baby is made possible through a broad, public-private partnership that includes: government, corporations, academic institutions, professional associations, tribal agencies and non-profit organizations. The program was officially launched in 2010 by U.S. Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra. Since then, more than 250,000 mothers nationwide have signed up for Text4Baby, more than six million messages have been sent, and more than 400 partners, including national, state, business, academic, non-profit and others, have signed on to promote the invaluable health service.