NPA is different... So our conferences are different.

You've been to conferences where the speakers describe the problems. You've seen the data. You know the statistics. Now it's time to do something.

At the National Perinatal Association, we believe that complex problems require interdisciplinary solutions. So NPA conferences bring together experts from across the perinatal continuum to share, listen, and learn from each other.  Because we're interested in solutions.

Our conference objectives are directly linked to our education and advocacy initiatives. We invite you to join one of our workgroups.

Objectives for 2020 Conference:

• To design a multidisciplinary framework for 4th trimester care that not only addresses the medical needs of postpartum women and newborns, but creates a safe and responsive environment for confronting the mental, social, and economic hardships many women and their families face after the birth of a child.

• To review the latest evidence for optimal newborn feeding and newborn attachment in order to create an inclusive strategy that promotes and normalizes breastfeeding while ensuring all parents have the resources needed to provide the best possible nutrition for their child. (Best Milk initiative)

• Continue to build on NPA's work with healthcare disparities in the perinatal period and focus on alleviating the inherent inequities faced by women of color in the 4th trimester. (Disparities workgroup, Transcultural workgroup)

• Redefine discharge planning for the fragile newborn utilizing a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates the medical, economic, and psychosocial needs of families taking a baby home from the NICU. (Interdisciplinary workgroup on NICU Discharge Planning and Preparation)

• Address specific circumstances such as substance use disorder, post traumatic stress, pregnancy loss, and postpartum depression with evidence-based interventions and compassionate care that empowers women and their families. (Perinatal Substance Use workgroup, Psychologists in the NICU program)

• Begin an advocacy campaign for paid family medical leave that promotes family bonding, allows for proper recovery from childbirth, and emphasizes the importance of the 4th trimester for healthy human development.