Greetings:
January 2011 is National Birth Defects Prevention Month! The theme is "Medication Use Before, During, and After Pregnancy". The National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) is pleased to provide you with the following resource materials for use to promote birth defects awareness and prevention.
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Additional Materials :
What medications are healthy for the baby and mom? Should over-the-counter medications like aspirin or acetaminophen be taken during pregnancy? While most women remember to talk about prescriptions and chronic illnesses, often discussion on over-the-counter products like pain relievers that are taken on an occasional basis are forgotten. Although taking medications during pregnancy is very common and familiar to many, there is a lack of knowledge among the population about the outcomes of taking medications during pregnancy and how they can be avoided. While a few medications have been associated with birth defects, others have been linked to additional serious outcomes for mothers and infants including miscarriage, premature labor, or stillbirth.
Please take the time to become familiar with the materials. We hope you find them useful to the educational outreach and prevention activities that you conduct in your community and education of providers who deliver any type of health care to the population of women of childbearing age.
The materials were compiled by the Education and Outreach Committee of the NBDPN. The NBDPN consists of individuals and organizations working at the local, state, and national levels in birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention. We are excited that, for the development of this packet, we were able to partner with the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) and the Teratology Society.
We would like to know how you used these materials. Please remember to complete the evaluation form, which can be found on the left side of the packet or completed online.
Questions about materials or about activities of the Committee can be directed to Mary Knapp at 609-292-5676, mary.knapp@doh.state.nj.us; or Cara Mai at (404) 498-3918, cwm7@cdc.gov. Thank you for helping promote birth defect prevention and awareness, especially during Birth Defects Prevention Month, January 2011.
Sincerely,
Mary Knapp
Education & Outreach Committee co-chair
New Jersey Department of Health & Senior Services
LaShunda Williams
Education & Outreach Committee co-chair
Mississippi State Department of Health
