World Birth Defects Day is March 3 and MotherToBaby is a proud partner in two of the events scheduled for that day – the Facebook Live Event at 1p ET about the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy and breastfeeding featuring our own Sonja Rasmussen, MD, Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, Kirstie Perrotta, MPH and our Past President Robert Felix. In addition, a #WorldBDDay Twitter chat is scheduled and, alongside the non-profit Family Voices, our Al Romeo, RN, PhD, will present a free webinar on lead exposure at 2p ET. We hope you’ll mark your calendar for all of the events scheduled for March 3 and support World Birth Defects Day by taking part! Here is the full rundown of the activities outlined by our partners at the International Clearinghouse on Birth Defects Surveillance and Research:
LIVE EVENTS on March 3rd
| Time | Event | How to Participate |
| 8 AM EST / 2PM CET | WHO WBDD webinar via Zoom: Saving lives of babies with birth defects and improving their quality of life | 1) Registration details will be made available soon. |
| 11 AM EST/8 AM PST | #WorldBDDay Twitter Chat:Many birth defects. One voice | 1) Promote event with sample tweets and promotional graphic-Eng, Span 2) Prepare responses and participate live or schedule tweets (script) |
| 1PM EST/10AM PST | Facebook Live Event: COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding | Follow MotherToBaby on March 3 to take part and ask questions! https://fb.me/e/A2mTOEya |
| 2PM EST/11AM PST | Free webinar on lead exposure in pregnancy | Register at: http://bit.ly/FV_MTB_2021_Lead |
Event Descriptions
WHO World Birth Defects Day Webinar via Zoom
8:00AM EST / 2:00PM CET
All children have the right to a healthy start in life. Babies born with birth defects are particularly at risk of death and lifelong disability. Many birth defects can be prevented and treated. But, when a baby is born with a birth defect, receiving the right care as soon as possible gives them the best chance to life and helps them reach their maximum potential. There is a need for strengthening healthcare services to meet the needs of babies born with a birth defect, in particular in low-and-middle income countries of Asia and Africa, where the health care systems are the weakest and the burden of birth defects is the highest. To promote quality of care and universal health coverage for children with birth defects, we must bring to light the human rights perspective and the need for advocacy.
With this webinar, we would like to commemorate World Birth Defects Day to raise awareness about #ManyBirthdefects1Voice. Registration details will be shared soon.
#WORLDBDDAY Global Twitter Chat
On March 3rd at 11:00AM EST, 5:00PM CET, join us during the Twitter Chat as one voice to raise awareness about birth defects. To prepare, get the bilingual script and questions here. Even if you cannot join us live, please schedule a tweet using #WorldBDDay at this time.
Facebook Live Event: COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
The event panel includes moderator Robert Felix, MD; and speakers Sonja Rasmussen, MD, Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, and Kirstie Perrotta, MPH.
Follow MotherToBaby at https://fb.me/e/A2mTOEya
Lead Exposure Webinar
As parents or when planning to start a family, it’s important to know and understand how to achieve the best care and health for children, but where do you begin? Right at home! Houses, especially older ones, can be a source of lead exposure. Although lead-based paint hasn’t been sold since the late 70s, many older homes still have it. Learn about the available resources supporting families who are exposed to lead. On World Birth Defects Day March 3, join the free webinar presented by MotherToBaby and Family Voices on the impact of lead exposures during pregnancy, infancy and in childhood. Register here now.
