Text4Baby is a free mobile health service designed to promote maternal and child health through text messaging. An educational program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), provides pregnant women and new mothers with information on critical health topics including: immunizations, nutrition, seasonal flu, mental health, oral health, safe sleep, and more. Text4baby messages also include interactive appointment and immunization reminders, educational videos, urgent health alerts on time-sensitive issues, and links to national and local health services and resources. Women who text BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 receive 3 weekly text messages timed to their due date or their baby’s birth date up to age one. All messages are free to participants as long as their service provider is a participating carrier. The majority of mobile carriers provide this service. Even if participants don’t have a text messaging plan, they can receive messages for free.
External evaluations of Text4baby have shown significant positive results. For more information on Text4baby’s impact on participants’ health knowledge, appointment attendance, and access to health services, visit www.Text4baby.org.
About Text4Baby
Who develops the text messages?
Text4baby pregnancy and infant messages are developed by HMHB in collaboration with federal partners, physicians and nurses, and national medical organizations. Text4baby messages are carefully reviewed by a council of experts representing the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Nurse-Midwives, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March of Dimes, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other maternal and child health experts. To review sample messages, visit www.Text4baby.org.
Talk to Patients About Text4baby
Health care providers are critical partners in getting their patients enrolled in Text4baby. Given the limited time available for providers to interact with patients, Text4baby is an important tool to engage and reinforce the clinical guidance providers want to convey to each patient. Massachusetts outreach partners include the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, community organizations, health plans, hospitals, and other health care providers. For information on becoming an outreach partner, visit www.Text4baby.org and click on “Partners.”