Unique cooperation

The unique nature of Preparing of Life is the cooperation between a diversity of committed groups: scientific, medical and public health professionals, patient organizations and service organizations. The founders of Preparing for Life were inspired by a report of the Health Council of the Netherlands, “Preconception Care: a Good Beginning” (2007) and its subsequent implementation advice “Safe Care around Pregnancy and Birth” (2010).

Objectives

We aim to improve the tragic situation regarding maternal and child mortality and morbidity by promoting international awareness and the development of accessible preconception care programs for all women of childbearing age and their partners in countries and regions worldwide. We are committed to reducing the global burden of maternal and child mortality and morbidity by promoting preconception care as part of a continuum of maternal, prenatal, newborn and child health, with the goal of enabling healthy longevity. We aim to introduce preconception care as an additional link in this care continuum by establishing a global network of active preconception care ambassadors who bring relevant stakeholders together, contribute to awareness and prevention programs and support governments and NGOs in implementing structural programs.

Strategy

We see the following strategies to promote preconception care:

• Promoting (inter)national awareness and the development of structural programs.
• Shifting the current focus on pre- and postnatal care to one that acknowledges that the prevention of mortality and morbidity, and the promotion of health for pregnant women and their children, begins before conception.
• Addressing risk factors that influence the health of the mother and future child .
• Implementing preconception care into existing programs and services, particularly within primary health care.

We work catalytically by (a) wordlwide identifying influential, driven persons, institutions and organizations, and (b) motivating, supporting and facilitating them to deliver the needed actions and services related to nutrition, medicine, lifestyle, genetics and environment.