Healthy Parents & Babies
Strategies Developed to Best Care for Pregnant People & New Families and to Promote a Strong Continuum of Support
Research shows that how people are treated during childbirth can affect the health and well-being of both parents and children. Limitations in the current constellation of services and supports available for pregnant people and families with infants also contribute to poor outcomes, such as maternal and infant mortality and morbidity.
The Research is Clear
How we can improve poor outcomes
Data show that maternal mortality risk increases after 42 days postpartum, yet health care coverage and other postpartum support services generally end sooner than that. This reality lessens continuity of care, decreases access to services and increases risk for maternal mortality and morbidity.
Recommended Strategies
Addressing systemic inequities & structural racism
The recommended strategies below were developed specifically to address structural racism in service systems that care for pregnant people and new families and to ensure prenatal touchpoints to better connect people to more resources that can holistically address the needs of families.
Strengthened Home Visiting System
Evidence-based home visiting fosters seamless, uninterrupted and equitable access to high-quality early childhood experiences and services from the prenatal-through-early-childhood periods.
Comprehensive Perinatal Supports
Alleviate racial and ethnic disparities in the health and wellbeing outcomes for both infants and their birthing parents by prioritizing crucial perinatal supports.
