At the beginning of a new year, health experts have some advice on making sure the babies who will come into the world in 2023 have the best preparations possible before they’re born.

This is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. Annually, nearly 13,000 children in Michigan are diagnosed with a birth defect within their first year, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

With that in mind, the MDHHS is joining with leading prenatal health experts from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network this month to increase awareness of five critical tips that help reduce the chances of having a baby with a birth defect.

Birth defects are structural changes that can affect almost any part of the body, such as the heart, brain or foot, and can cause lifelong health challenges, the MDHHS stated in a news release. The National Birth Defects Prevention Network works to put out information and promote strategies that can help reduce the risk of birth defects and their complications.

The National Birth Defects Prevention Month campaign theme this year is “Healthy Communities, Healthy Babies.”

“As medical care and treatment have improved, babies and children with birth defects are living longer and healthier lives,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “Although not all birth defects can be prevented, pregnant people and prospective parents are encouraged to make healthy choices and adopt healthier habits to help lower their risk of having a baby born with a birth defect.”

The MDHHS offers these five tips to increase the chances of having a healthy baby:

— Be sure to take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day at least one month before conception;

— Visit with a health care provider to support a healthy pregnancy.

— Reduce risk of infections.

— Become up to date on all vaccines before becoming pregnant. If already pregnant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends still getting these vaccines: flu, Tdap and COVID-19.

— Take care of body and mind before and during pregnancy.

— Avoid harmful substances during pregnancy, such as alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

The MDHHS Birth Defects Education and Outreach program has more information online at https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/adult-child-serv/childrenfamilies/hereditary/genomics/bdprevention. Or go to National Birth Defects Awareness Month – National Birth Defects Prevention Network at www.nbdpn.org.

— Iron Mountain Daily News