There are so many free or low-cost services across the city.
Use the links provided to learn more!
Before and After Birth: Protecting Your Emotional Health
Free program to learn how to manage stress, anxiety and the baby blues, before and after birth. Hosted by Healthy Start Brooklyn.
Learn more: [Free] Before and After Birth: Protecting Your Emotional Health Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
Baby Cafés USA
Breastfeeding support from Baby Cafés, support groups promote community-based, drop-in breastfeeding sites & offer high-quality lactation care for free.
Brownsville Neighborhood Health Action Center (Brooklyn)
259 Bristol Street, Multi-Purpose Room Thursdays: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
East Harlem Health Action Center (Manhattan)
158 East 115th Street, Family Wellness Suite Wednesdays: 10 a.m. – noon
Tremont Neighborhood Health Action Center (Bronx)
1826 Arthur Avenue Tuesdays: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Feeding Resources
Call or visit 311 for more resources including the Breastfeeding Warmline.
Mobile Milk is a text messaging campaign to encourage and support breastfeeding.
Text MILK to 55676 to get started.
Text messages start during 3rd trimester, continuing until your baby is 4 months old.
After your baby is born, you will receive a few text messages per week with guidance and support for breastfeeding.
Community breastfeeding support, education & resources:
WIC (Women, Infants & Children)
For pregnant, breastfeeding, postpartum, caregivers of infants and children up to age 5
Gives families access to: Infant formula, breastfeeding support, funds to cover WIC foods at WIC-approved stores, referrals to other programs & services, nutrition education
WIC Prescreening Tool: WIC PreScreening Tool (usda.gov)
Apply for WIC benefits: How do I apply for WIC? (ny.gov)
Insurance
Find Insurance Coverage During Pregnancy:
Medicaid provides free or low-cost insurance to pregnant New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status. Families with higher incomes may qualify for Medicaid during pregnancy. If you have Medicaid while you are pregnant, your baby will have Medicaid for one year.
What Medicaid covers during pregnancy: A Healthy Baby Sarts With a Healthy Pregnancy (ny.gov)
Enrollment sites for Medicaid, all 5 Boros : FPBP PROVIDER LIST formated 04 06 09.xls (nyc.gov)
All NYS Medicaid Members are eligible to receive doula services during pregnancy and up to 12 months after, regardless of the pregnancy outcome.
Find A Doula via New York State Medicaid Fee-for-Service Doula Directory:
New York State Medicaid Fee-for-Service Doula Directory (ny.gov)
Insurance coverage for babies & children
Children in your family who are 14 years of age or younger are eligible for Medicaid coverage if your family qualifies financially. All Medicaid-eligible children are provided with 12 months of continuous coverage, even if your family's income exceeds eligibility levels during that period.
Children who are not eligible for Medicaid can enroll in Child Health Plus.
Child Health Plus provides free or low-cost health insurance to children under the age of 19, that reside in New York State, who do not qualify for Medicaid and do not have other health insurance coverage.
Child Health Plus enrollment: New York State of Health | Health Plan Marketplace for Individual and Small Business Health Insurance (ny.gov)
Additional Resources
Baby’s Schedule of Routine Checkups Welcome to Parenthood, A Family Guide, Your Baby's Medical Home (ny.gov)
Baby’s Immunization Schedule
New York State Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule (ny.gov)
Find help in NYC with food, money, housing, & finding work: ACCESS NYC
Learn more & apply for benefits that can help support your family.
SNAP (Food Stamps), Cash Assistance (CA), Fair Fares NYC, HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) helps NY’ers heat & cool their homes, Child Support.
Apply: ACCESS HRA (nyc.gov)
Family support programs are voluntary programs provided at no cost to your family that will give you family support through visits in your home by a family support provider. Your family support provider will provide information and support about parenting, your child's health and development, walk you through healthy coping strategies for stressful parenting situations, and connect you with any needed services in the community (such as health care, job training).
Learn more: Pregnant or Parenting Families (ny.gov)
Eating Healthy, nutrition education for your entire family:
