National Health Observances Toolkit
National Health Observances Toolkit - January
National Birth Defects Prevention Month
Sponsor: The National Birth Defects Prevention Network 
National Birth Defects Prevention Month is a time to raise awareness of birth defects and promote healthy pregnancies.
A birth defect is a problem that happens while a baby is developing in the mother’s body. One out of every 33 babies in the United States is born with a birth defect.
Many birth defects can be prevented. If you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, these tips can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby:
- Take a multivitamin with folic acid every day before and during pregnancy.
- See your doctor or midwife regularly as soon as you think you're pregnant and throughout your pregnancy.
- Make sure your vaccinations are up to date.
- Eat well and stay active.
- Avoid alcohol, smoking, and other drug use.
- Prevent infections from food and other sources.
Sample Announcement | Sample Tweets | E-cards | Web Badges | Get Involved | Related Tools on healthfinder.gov | Resources
Get the Word Out
 |
Sample Media and/or Newsletter or Listserv Announcement |
 |
Prevention and wellness resources and tools for your pregnancy: http://1.usa.gov/jtetEd Ask your doctor if you should be taking a daily prenatal vitamin. Did you know? Women in every state can get help to pay for medical care during pregnancy: http://1.usa.gov/lmCXIi Print-and-Go-Guide: Simple Do’s and Don’ts When You’re Pregnant from @womenshealth: http://1.usa.gov/jneTYi (PDF – 272KB) Learn benefits of taking folic acid to prevent birth defects in your baby: http://1.usa.gov/rr1acz |
 |
|
 |
Web Badge |
Get Involved
Take action to promote healthy pregnancies.
- Post an announcement and information on your organization’s Web site or through your listserv. (See sample announcement.)
- Connect with supportive partners in the media. Prepare public service announcement (PSA) scripts and write educational articles that may be used or adapted by local media. Recruit a local “birth defects prevention champion” for media interviews.
- Contact the communications lead for your agency. Ask that Birth Defects Prevention Month and related information be announced in your organization newsletter, all-staff emails, or included as a stuffer in payroll envelopes.
- Contact state or local businesses. Companies may add information about birth defects to their corporate or wellness newsletters, sponsor events such as baby fairs, or donate door prizes such as folic-acid rich food baskets to bridal fairs, health fairs, and other community events.
- Work with local libraries, stores, churches, community centers and community colleges, and universities to distribute information and/or materials.
Adapted from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network
Contact the National Birth Defects Prevention Network at nbdpn@nbdpn.org for more information and materials.
Related Tools on healthfinder.gov
Personal Health Tools
More Information (Health A-Z)
Quick Guide to Healthy Living
Resources
- The National Birth Defects Prevention Network
National Birth Defects Prevention Month Sponsor - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion: Maternal and Infant Health
- National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Birth Defects
This graphic notice means that you are leaving healthfinder.gov for a non-government site. healthfinder.gov bears no responsibility for the accuracy of links or content of external sites or for that of subsequent links. Please contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.