National Birth Defects Awareness Month: Prenatal Care Action Guide for Health Systems
Key Facts:
- Incidence: 120,000 U.S. infants are born with birth defects each year (≈ 3% of births).
- Economic burden: Hospital costs for birth-defect–related care exceed $3 billion annually (CDC 2024).
- Prevention potential: Daily 400 µg folic acid can prevent up to 70% of neural-tube defects.
- Equity gap: Pregnant people in rural counties are 30 % less likely to receive first-trimester prenatal visits.
Editor's Note
This article is part of the BHM Healthcare Awareness Series, designed to provide quick, ready-to-use content and links to official resources for internal staff communications, patient education, and social media.
Feel free to copy, adapt, and share.
Observation Date
January
History & Impact
National Birth Defects Awareness Month began in 1999 as a collaboration between the CDC, the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN), and March of Dimes to spotlight prevention, early detection, and lifelong support for individuals with birth defects. Each January, public-health agencies, hospitals, and community partners share prevention tips, promote folic-acid intake, and highlight equity gaps in prenatal care. Campaign hashtags (#Best4YouBest4Baby, #Prevent2Protect) and toolkits help organizations educate clinicians and families on risk reduction and coordinated care.
Why it Matters
- Birth defects affect 1 in 33 U.S. babies and are a leading cause of infant mortality and long-term disability.
- Early, equitable prenatal care (including folic-acid supplementation, infection screening, and chronic-disease management) can prevent many neural-tube and structural anomalies, reducing NICU stays and lifetime costs for payers and providers.
Quick Actions for Your Organization
For Leadership
Integrate folic acid and infection-screening quality metrics into enterprise maternal-health dashboards.
Establish value-based contracts that reimburse early prenatal visits and genetic counseling.
Partner with WIC, community health centers, and telehealth vendors to extend prenatal services in underserved areas.
For Implementation Teams
Add folic-acid reminders to EHR order sets and patient portals; link to refill requests.
Run a January social-media series using CDC #Best4YouBest4Baby graphics; schedule posts in advance.
Host virtual prenatal-education classes featuring dietitians and genetic counselors; capture attendance for ROI reporting.
Resources
Ready-to-Use Assets
The following links provide resources & information for creating internal or external campaigns to support or promote this healthcare observance. Please vet these resources for alignment with your organization.
Talking Points
Copy & Paste Friendly
“Folic acid taken before and during early pregnancy can prevent most serious neural-tube defects—share this reminder with parents-to-be.”
“Schedule first prenatal visits in the first 12 weeks to catch infections and chronic-disease risks early.”
“Closing prenatal-care gaps today lowers NICU stays and lifelong healthcare costs tomorrow.”
Disclaimer: Please verify all information, usage rights, and related guidelines with the official observance organizers and your organization’s policies to ensure proper alignment.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. How can our health system measure the success of a Birth Defects Awareness Month campaign?
Track first-trimester prenatal-visit rates, folic-acid prescription fills, and engagement with educational materials (QR codes, portal clicks).
Q2. What low-cost ways can I engage busy clinicians in a Birth Defects Awareness Month campaign?
Embed 15-minute micro-learnings into existing OB/GYN staff meetings and add EHR smart-phrases for prevention counseling.
Q3. How do we encourage community partners to participate in a Birth Defects Awareness Month campaign?
Provide co-branded CDC toolkit assets, share local prevalence data, and offer joint webinars that give CE credits. organizations (e.g., FQHCs, faith-based groups) and offer multilingual CDC Inside Knowledge materials. Provide evening/weekend screening hours and coordinate transportation or mobile clinics to reduce access barriers. Track engagement metrics by demographic segment to verify impact and refine outreach.
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