The Importance of Prenatal Care Prenatal care is widely accepted as an important component in improving pregnancy outcomes. (Gorrie, McKinney, Murray, 1998). Antenatal care is defined as the care provided to a pregnant woman during the period of the maternity cycle that begins with conception and ends with the onset of labor. Medical, surgical, gynecological, obstetric, social, and family histories are taken into account (Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary, 1998). It is important for a pregnant woman as well as our society to know that everything you do has an effect on your baby. As many women choose not to receive prenatal care, our society sees the consequences, including various complications primarily related to the baby. According to the recommendations of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, prenatal care must be started before the fourth month of gestation and include more than 13 visits to be considered adequate. Any deviation in the guidelines deems care inadequate. Purpose The purpose of this article is to inform not only women about the problems that can arise from inadequate care, but also our society as a whole. By being well informed about the benefits of prenatal care, people can make more informed decisions. We also need to focus on why women choose not to get adequate care and work to improve medical care in hopes of increasing the number of women receiving prenatal care. It is essential that nurses have a clear understanding of prenatal care, why some women have not benefited from it, and how to educate clients and families about its benefits. Incidence, prevalence, population Around 475 newborns are born every day to mothers who have started antenatal care. in the middle of the article......adelphia: WB Saunders, p.45. Hawkins, J., Aber, C., Cannan, A., Coppinger, C. and Rafferty, K., (1998). Women reported self-care behaviors during pregnancy. Health Care for Women International, 19, 529-538. Hays, B., Kaiser, K., McMabon, C. and Kaup, K., (2000). Public health nursing data: Building the knowledge base for high-risk prenatal clients. MCN, 25 (3), 151-158. Higgins, P. and Woods, P., (1999) Reasons, health behaviors and outcomes for missing antenatal care: practice-changing research. Health Care for Women International, 20, 127-136. Moore, M. and Freda, M., (1998). Reducing premature and low birth weight births: still a challenge in nursing. MCN, 23 (4). Retrieved October 18, 2000, from http://www.nursingcenter.com.Prenatal Care. National Vital Statistics Report, 48, (3). Retrieved October 19, 2000 from http://www.cdc.gov/prenatstats.