National Birth Defects Awareness Month

Birth defects are structural changes that affect one or more parts of the body (e.g. heart, brain, foot). They develop most often during the first three months of pregnancy, when a baby’s organs are forming and can cause problems in overall health, how the body develops and functions. About 1 in 33 babies in the U.S. is born with a birth defect each year, according to the CDC. Common birth defects include congenital heart defects, cleft lip and cleft palate and spina bifida.