Press Release

• Tweet

August 27, 2007

East Bay health experts are launching a campaign to be sure women understand how important it is to wait a while between pregnancies to protect their health the health of the infant, and the health and well being of their families.

Contra Costa Health Services' Public Health Nursing staff are using a variety of education strategies to communicate a "Just Us for 2 Years" message. The goal is to encourage women to wait two years between the birth of each child for the best outcomes.

"Research tells us that babies born too close together are smaller and get less attention from their parents than those born at least two years apart. Families who wait also have more time to be together with each other and each successive child," says Francie Wise, Director of Public Health Nursing.

According to Wise, there are a number of benefits to spacing babies, including more time for the mother's body to restore itself to good nutritional health, with return of good levels of folic acid and overall better health. More time helps the mother have a healthier next pregnancy and generally more energy for each baby in turn.

Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) is using fliers, bus shelter ads and information to health providers to get out this important message. And every Public Health Nurse in the CCHS system will be letting patients they see know about "Just Us for 2 Years." (More information about the importance of spacing babies is available online at http://cchealth.org)

"It's an easy way for parents to be sure their families are strong emotionally and physically," says Wise, adding that even if women don't wait the full two years, every extra month contributes to healthier babies. And for each extra month between babies, the mother's body becomes a little healthier, ensuring a healthier infant with the next pregnancy.

# # #