Background:
The “Healthy Birth Toolkit” includes ten additional resources, in addition to the five reported at the 2005 Preconception Summit (Preconception Checklist, Health Care Provider's Reference, Information to Consider if You're Thinking of Becoming Pregnant, Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care (WAPC) Preconceptional Care Position Statement, and Becoming a Parent video.)

Objectives:
The “Healthy Birth Toolkit,” developed by WAPC, includes new resources for both providers and consumers about improving healthy birth outcomes and reducing risks for adverse outcomes.

Methods:
The new resources include:
1. Prescription for a Healthy Future^TM prescription, a practical tool for all providers to use to promote healthy habits for all women, including those of child-bearing age
2. 2007 edition of the WAPC Position Statement on Folic Acid, a handy reference on the latest information and recommendations about folic acid and health
3. Handheld Prenatal & Birth Record (English and Spanish) is primarily intended for women to carry with them as a ready record of their prenatal course, including their preconception and subsequent interconception risk factors
4. Educational resource bookmark with resources for providers and consumers about perinatal mood disorders and smoking cessation, as well as SIDS
5-10. Six Planning for Pregnancy information sheets about asthma, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, X-ray tests, and diagnostic imaging


Results:
Measures of success include order information and “hits” on the WAPC Web site for free materials. For example, since completion in April 2007, over 3,000 copies of the Handheld Prenatal & Birth Record have been ordered by providers in one Wisconsin county. The toolkit is available to the seven local public health departments expected to be part of a preconception pilot project that involves providing a method of contraception to every eligible woman prior to delivery.

Conclusion and implications for practice:
Continuing WAPC's over 20-year history as a leader in preconception care and health, this toolkit gives consumers and providers more easy-to-understand information. The information, available in print for a nominal cost and via the Internet, empowers a woman to take control of important health decisions and enables providers to access information on demand.