Nicole Crist faced a dire situation last year when she found out she was pregnant: She and her husband, Roger, didn't have the money for prenatal care, and it would be several months before their Medicaid application was processed.

"It has helped me out immensely," Crist said. "If I didn't have them, I wouldn't have been able to go to the doctors."

Baby Your Baby began statewide in 1987 as a response to Utah's high infant mortality rate, which was 8.7 per 1,000 births. Originally intended as a two-year outreach and media campaign, it is still growing after 21 years and has served more than 100,000 needy moms-to-be. In 2005, Utah's infant mortality rate was the lowest in the country at 4.5 deaths per 100,000 births. Utah County celebrated its 25,000th client Wednesday.

The program issues temporary cards to cover an array of services, including doctor visits, vitamins, lab work and ultrasounds. Last week, Crist delivered her first child, a baby boy named Aiden. She credits the program with her safe, healthy pregnancy.

"They were a lifesaver," she said.

"I feel so blessed to even have Baby Your Baby," said Andrea Ashton, who is expecting a baby in November and is the 25,000th client.

"We were scared because we didn't know how we were going to afford it."

Ashton and her husband, Doug, were recognized at the Utah County Health and Justice Building with a gift basket including a car seat, books and other parenting tools. The couple now receives Medicaid assistance, but it took about three months after they applied to get it. Ashton said the county program helped her really start her pregnancy education.

"We kind of knew what we were supposed to do, we just didn't know how or when," she said. "I didn't know anything about morning sickness or what normal weight gain was."

As recently as 2000, the United Health Foundation ranked Utah 49th in the country for adequacy of prenatal care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Following the ranking, the state Health Department underwent a media campaign in 2001 highlighting the program in TV commercials across the state.

By 2005, the state's numbers had improved enough to earn it No. 22 on the same list.

Utah County has followed that trend in recent years, with the state Health Department reporting that the percentage of expectant mothers receiving "adequate" care -- calculated with respect to how often they see doctors and how early in pregnancy the process begins -- rising to 83.75 in 2006. But there continues to be a disparity between income levels, with only 69 percent of pregnant women within the federal poverty range receiving care, said county Health Department spokesman Lance Madigan.

Utah County's program is on par to have a record-breaking year in 2008. More than 1,300 women used the program in 2006, and about as many used it in 2007; so far, 735 women have been served by Baby Your Baby in 2008, with half the year left to go.

Dr. Joseph Miner, executive director of the Utah County Health Department, said Baby Your Baby is becoming an increasingly important part of healthy pregnancies for many women in the county. He points to clients' infant mortality rates and average birth weights -- both of which beat the general population -- as indicators that the program is working.

"It's especially important to get started early in the pregnancy with prenatal care," he said. "We have some very good data showing that it was well worth it."

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it