Pregnant? Start Here.
Finding out you’re pregnant can bring a lot of questions at once. You do not need to have every answer today, and here are some helpful resources to get you started.
Confirm Your Pregnancy
If you think you may be pregnant, taking a pregnancy test is a good first step. Free and low-cost pregnancy testing is available at several locations throughout Lincoln.
Once you know you’re pregnant, connect with a healthcare provider as early as you can. Prenatal care early in pregnancy gives you a chance to ask questions, talk through your health history, and begin planning for the months ahead.
Local options include:
- Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department
- Family Health Services
- Planned Parenthood Lincoln Health Center
- Lincoln Pregnancy Center
- Free health supply vending machines are available at several locations throughout Lincoln, including one near Bluestem Health on North 27th Street
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This is your CTA, specific to the video.No Insurance? You May Qualify for Temporary Coverage.
If you’re pregnant and do not have Medicaid, you may qualify for Presumptive Eligibility, often called PE. This service provides temporary Medicaid coverage for eligible pregnant patients while a full Medicaid application is being processed.
If you qualify, coverage can begin when your application is completed and can help cover outpatient prenatal care. You will still need to complete a full Medicaid application for continued coverage, including benefits related to labor and delivery.
Our team can help you determine whether you qualify, as well as how to navigate the application process. Call Bluestem Health at (402) 476-1455 if you have any questions about coverage.
Breastfeeding Support
Breastfeeding can come with questions, changes, and challenges. Our team supports you before your baby arrives and after you return home.
Lincoln’s Community Breastfeeding Educators are mothers from a variety of cultures who are trained to provide peer breastfeeding support. Educators can offer practical guidance, encouragement, and connections to other resources, with support available in many languages and at locations throughout Lincoln, including Bluestem Health.
Family Connects
The first few weeks with a newborn can bring new questions every day. Family Connects gives Lancaster County families someone to turn to. Every family with a newborn who lives in Lancaster County is eligible for a free home visit from a registered nurse, usually about three weeks after the baby is born.
During the visit, your nurse can check on you and your baby, answer questions, offer breastfeeding support, and connect you with local resources based on what your family needs. There are no income requirements, and there is no cost for the visit.
Talk. Read. Sing. Connect.
Your baby begins learning through everyday moments with you. Bluestem Health also participates in Reach Out and Read, helping families bring books and reading into everyday routines during childhood.
Face-to-Face Time
Screens are part of everyday life, but babies learn best through real-world interaction with the people around them. Our team can work with you to prioritize talking, playing, reading, singing, and responding to your baby give them opportunities to build language and social skills. For infants, those interactions and keep screens from replacing conversation, play, reading, movement, and sleep.
