GOLD Learning Speakers

Maternal mortality rates are improving around the world but preventable deaths remain unacceptably high, such as in the US where rates are the highest of any developed country, continue to increase, and are associated with severe racial disparities. Adverse babyhood experiences (ABEs) are a new construct identifying 10 categories of adversity that increase risk for complications and death in mothers and infants. In this emerging era of trauma-informed care, ABEs provide opportunities to optimize resilience through practical strategies for prevention, treatment and repair. ABEs serve as indicators of risk for low birth weight, preterm birth, neonatal intensive care, and chronic illness later in life, among other poor outcomes for infants; and for miscarriage, still birth, other complications and negative outcomes for mothers, including postpartum depression, which is a leading cause of maternal death. ABEs further the science of adverse childhood experiences to highlight a distinct group of risk factors occurring prior to a child’s 3rd birthday. Attendees will be able to identify early indicators of risk in babies and parents; understand how effects of trauma occur through epigenetics and are not psychological; learn of practices for reducing risk in the sensitive periods before and after birth, and for repairing effects of ABEs later in life; and part with knowledge to inform choices in management and treatment interventions that optimize clinical outcomes.