Employers can play a key role in helping employees manage their pregnancy risks. Wellness initiatives that promote good preconception health and increase employees' awareness of risks can create a healthier workforce, while also addressing health care costs. Here are some tips to manage pregnancy risks in your workforce.

1. Focus on preconception health.
Good preconception health is nearly as important as healthy habits during pregnancy. An investment in prenatal health programs and support could save employers big costs down the road.

Help your employees lower their risk for pregnancy complications by creating a healthy workplace.

• Conduct on-site health screenings to help identify employees at risk for diabetes and high blood pressure.
• Provide low-sodium, heart-healthy and diabetes friendly diet tips. The American Dietetic Association offers a variety of Nutrition Fact Sheets.
• Provide pedometers and issue an Employee Challenge, offering prizes to the employees or team of employees that walks the most steps in a week.

2. Weight loss for healthy pregnancy.
Overweight and obese moms are more likely to have high-risk pregnancies. Help your employees lose weight before pregnancy by offering a weight-loss program or weight-loss support group. Issue a challenge to entire departments and then offer prizes like casual Friday, discounts at health clubs, etc., to the department that loses the most inches. Sponsor brown-bag lunches with a dietitian or nutrition expert. Organize a lunchtime walking group.

Use this Guide to Starting a Weight-Management Program In Your Company from Weight Watchers and the National Business Group on Health.

3. Help Mom go smoke free.
Smoking almost doubles a woman's chance of having a low-birthweight baby and increases the risk of preterm delivery. Help your employees kick the habit by offering smoking support groups. Recruit ex-smokers from among your workforce to "sponsor" and support employees trying to quit.

If you aren't able to offer your own smoking cessation program, use your employee newsletter, intranet and company bulletin board to post information about free resources like smokefree.gov and the Great American Smokeout.

4. Consider flexible work arrangements.
Women with high-risk pregnancy are more likely to go on disability and less likely to return after maternity leave. Consider offering flextime and the option to work from home to help high-risk and new moms juggle work and family responsibilities and stress.

5. Link your high-risk employees to high-risk support.
Special Beginnings® helps pregnant Blue Cross and Blue Shield members and their babies get off to a healthy start by providing educational materials and support, pregnancy risk-factor identification, access to an online resource center, and ongoing communication and monitoring. Members are supported from early pregnancy through six weeks after delivery.