Pregnancy is a unique and complex physiological state requiring specialized healthcare, timely interventions, and careful monitoring to ensure the health and safety of both the pregnant person and the fetus. In the correctional environment, these needs intersect with a host of challenges—limited resources, security constraints, inconsistent prenatal care before incarceration, and high prevalence of comorbidities such as substance use disorders, infectious diseases, and mental health conditions.

Epidemiology

• In the United States, approximately 58,000 pregnant individuals enter jails or prisons each year (Sufrin et al., 2019).
• Most pregnancies in correctional settings are identified at or shortly after intake, with some women unaware they are pregnant.
• Incarcerated pregnant individuals are disproportionately affected by poverty, trauma histories, inadequate prenatal care, and chronic health conditions.
• Adverse pregnancy outcomes—including preterm birth, low birth weight, and neonatal abstinence syndrome—occur at higher rates in incarcerated populations compared to the general public.

Correctional nurses play a critical role in providing timely prenatal assessment, education, and coordination of care, bridging the gap between the patient and the correctional healthcare system.

In this class, we will discuss the pathophysiology of pregnancy, including fetal development and expected changes to the maternal body.  We will discuss four common pregnancy-related conditions, critical “red flags” in pregnancy and the signs and symptoms of labor.