HEALTHY AND EQUITABLE BIRTHS

Setbacks and trauma that children and families experience due to often preventable pregnancy and birth complications can have lifelong consequences for children’s health and wellbeing. Adverse birth outcomes disproportionately affect Black families. Ensuring healthy and equitable births is foundational to building a prenatal-to-3 system of care.

Two outcome measures illustrate the health of babies at birth, which is often also an indicator of maternal health during the perinatal period:

• Preterm births and
• Infant mortality.

Based on comprehensive reviews of the most rigorous evidence available, the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center identified 12 effective solutions that foster the nurturing environments infants and toddlers need. Five policies and strategies have demonstrated effectiveness at supporting healthy and equitable births.