The Center for Better Beginnings is the coordinating center at UC San Diego to actively prevent and treat birth defects. In recognition of this public health priority, our programs and services have one unifying focus: to promote healthy moms, healthy pregnancies, and healthy babies through education, research, and top-notch patient care. Learn how we can help you by selecting the community group you identify with below.
Pregnancy is an exciting time for parents-to-be. You want to know as much as you can about your developing baby and how the things you may be exposed to could affect his or her health and development. Browse our programs to learn how we support the health of moms and babies before and throughout pregnancy, and how we contribute to the information that is available to moms-to-be and their healthcare providers.
Breastfeeding is the most effective way to ensure baby’s health and survival—yet there are many unknowns about the properties of breast milk. We are improving breastfeeding rates by addressing these medicine, chemical and environmental health concerns through individualized counseling and innovative research programs. Learn how we are helping moms and health care providers when faced with chronic health conditions and treatment decisions.
While some birth defects may be identified in pregnancy or shortly after baby’s arrival, other more subtle health conditions may not be noticed until early or middle childhood and beyond. Our pediatricians provide diagnostic and clinical services for children with a broad range of birth defects, while our Center supports families struggling specifically with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and researches this under-recognized condition.
UC San Diego is one of the best research universities in the world, and our Center is a part of that. We are making valuable contributions to a wide range of research topics in maternal, infant, and child health. Discover how we are advancing the field and what you can do to help us better understand the causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes and birth defects, and how we can better prevent them.
Post-marketing surveillance is crucial to determine if medications prescribed to a woman can be safely used in pregnancy. For over 15 years we have successfully partnered with pharmaceutical companies who have a post-marketing drug safety surveillance requirement, by conducting rigorously designed pregnancy exposure registries to evaluate the safety of both medications and vaccines. Learn how we can help you meet your post-marketing surveillance requirement.
