Increasing awareness of the importance of father inclusion and engagement in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum process

(a) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall carry out a public awareness campaign to increase understanding of the importance of father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, for both the mother and baby. (b) Requirements The campaign under subsection (a) shall include— (1) messaging intended to provide information to the public about the importance of a father’s role in pregnancy and parenting; (2) resources and information to counter popular narratives that minimize the importance of engaged and involved fathers in pregnancy and parenting; and (3) resources and information that promote awareness about the impact of father inclusion on maternal and infant outcomes, including— (A) the importance of father-to-infant skin-to-skin contact in improving the health and development of a newborn and fostering father-child bonding in the short- and long-term; (B) the role of fathers in promoting the behavioral health of the mother; (C) the role of fathers in increasing the number of prenatal and postpartum appointments a mother attends; (D) the effects of father attendance during prenatal and postnatal appointments; (E) the effects of paternal postpartum depression; (F) the role of father support in improving rates of successful breastfeeding; and (G) the role of father involvement in providing the mother with additional support to recognize potential pregnancy-related complications, which could include— (i) preeclampsia; (ii) peripartum cardiomyopathy; (iii) preterm labor; (iv) perinatal mood and anxiety disorders; (v) pregnancy loss or miscarriage; (vi) stillbirth; (vii) high blood pressure; (viii) cervical infections; (ix) gestational diabetes; (x) placental abruption; (xi) ectopic pregnancy; and (xii) uterine rupture.