February is the month of love — a time for sweethearts, galentines and friends to send cards, give gifts and celebrate affection. But it’s also a time to remind women of childbearing age that they should show themselves some love — by taking care of their health!
Show Your Love is a national campaign designed to improve the health of women and babies by promoting preconception health and healthcare. The campaign’s main goal is to increase the proportion of women who plan their pregnancies and engage in healthy behaviors before becoming pregnant.
The campaign launched on Valentine’s Day 2013. There are plenty of ways to get involved:
- Check out the CDC’s Show Your Love campaign materials.
- Follow the Coalition’s Show Your Love and Maybe Baby Pinterest boards.
- Show Your Love on Twitter with #SYLtoday.
- Follow the Coalition on Facebook for special Show Your Love messages, pictures, videos and more.
The Show Your Love campaign includes two important checklists: One for women who are plan on being pregnant one day and one for women who are not planning on becoming pregnant.
At the Coalition, the Magnolia Project home visitors/case managers utilize these checklists in promoting and supporting reproductive health planning by at-risk women of childbearing age. The Preconception Peer Educator program also utilizes the checklists in their efforts to promote preconception health on college campuses in the community.