As Mother’s Day approaches, the University of Connecticut Health Center announces MotherToBaby CT, the new name of its free, statewide counseling service that connects experts in the field of birth defects research with moms-to-be and the general public. MotherToBaby CT is formerly known as the Connecticut Pregnancy Exposure Information Service.

“Obtaining reliable and current information about the risks of medications, drugs, alcohol, chemicals and environmental exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding is difficult to locate,” says Sharon Voyer Lavigne, MotherToBaby CT coordinator. “We live in an age of online information; however, it is often confusing and misleading. MotherToBaby CT can provide women and health care providers the expert data and current research necessary for them to make educated health decisions.”

Approximately 50 percent of women report taking at least one medication during pregnancy. “Many women don’t find out that they are pregnant until about one to two weeks after they miss their period,” says Voyer Lavigne. “During this time, a woman could have been exposed to potentially harmful substances. This scenario often creates a lot of anxiety about the well being of her baby.”

To be connected with MotherToBaby experts, call its phone counseling service toll-free at (866) 626-6847, in the Hartford area at 860-523-6419.

In addition to a pregnant woman’s primary health care provider, MotherToBaby CT experts offer an added layer of support by providing her with an individualized risk assessment so she may make informed health decisions.

MotherToBaby CT is an affiliate of the international non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a prestigious professional society that supports and contributes to worldwide initiatives for teratology education and research. MotherToBaby affiliates and OTIS, which are suggested resources by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are dedicated to providing evidence-based information to mothers, health care professionals, and the general public about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

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