The Connecticut Urgent Maternal Warning Signs Bracelet Initiative, coined the Bracelet Initiative, for short, is a statewide initiative designed to reduce illness and death related to pregnancy and childbirth by improving clinical awareness of potential postpartum complications, known as “urgent maternal warming signs”.
The postpartum period lasts from birth to up to a year. According to the Connecticut Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s 2015-2020 Pregnancy-Related Deaths in Connecticut report, more than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur during the postpartum period, and most are considered preventable. This is consistent with national data. Additionally, as noted in the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Severe Maternal Morbidity Report: 2010-2020, Connecticut ranks 14th in the country for the highest rates of severe maternal morbidity (SMM). The report also found that Black, Hispanic and Asian birthing people are at higher risk of experiencing postpartum complications.
BACKGROUND
Launched in the fall of 2025, the Bracelet Initiative, led by the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) and the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative (CPQC), has been designed to increase community awareness of preventable postpartum complications and conditions; ensure that birthing persons are empowered to seek help when experiencing symptoms of postpartum complications; and educate healthcare providers on potential complications during the postpartum period. It is funded through grants awarded to CHA by DPH and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF).
INITIATIVE OVERVIEW
As part of the Bracelet Initiative, birthing hospitals across the state have begun providing postpartum patients with an orange bracelet and a handout on urgent maternal warning signs. Before leaving the hospital, all postpartum patients are invited to wear the bracelet for 12 weeks. If there is a need to seek emergency care, the bracelet signals to healthcare providers and first responders that the wearer is postpartum, enhancing timely recognition of and response to symptoms of potentially serious postpartum complications.
A key component of the initiative is training those who interact with pregnant and birthing people. Trainings have been developed to inform hospital staff; first responders and emergency department staff; and community-based healthcare providers. These virtual webinars provide participants with the knowledge to identify that an individual wearing an orange bracelet is postpartum, recognize urgent maternal warming signs, and connect those experiencing complications to care.
URGENT MATERNAL WARNING SIGNS
Warning sign symptoms include, but are not limited to: a headache that won’t go away or gets worse over time; dizziness or fainting; changes in vision; a body temperature of 100.4°F or higher, or 96.8°F or lower; extreme swelling of hands or face; thoughts of harming yourself or your baby; trouble breathing; chest pain or fast beating heart; severe nausea and throwing up; seizure; problem urinating or changes in urine; severe swelling, redness, or pain in arm or leg; incision that is not healing; overwhelming tiredness; and bleeding, soaking through one pad per hour, or blood clots the size of an egg or bigger.
RESOURCES AND TRAINING WEBINARS
Educational materials are available via the CHA Bracelet Initiative webpage. It houses both provider-and patient-facing educational materials and information. These educational materials are available in several languages.
Three virtual training webinars are available. Each is specifically tailored to inform the following audiences: emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and emergency department (ED) staff; hospital staff and healthcare providers; and community-based organization (CBO) healthcare providers and staff.
The Bracelet Initiative has also developed an Implementation Toolkit webpage to guide and support hospitals implementation of a Bracelet Initiative program at their facilities and in partnership with CBOs.
COMMUNITY, STATE, AND NATIONAL RESOURCES
Bracelet Initiative participants may have needs that require assistance from local, state, or national programs. Additional maternal and infant health resources are listed in the toolkit here.
For more information on the Connecticut Urgent Maternal Warning Signs Bracelet Initiative, contact Alison Tyliszczak, maternal health consultant, CHA, at Tyliszczak@chime.org.
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SOURCES: CHA’s website links to the CT Perinatal Quality Collaborative (CPQC); Bracelet Initiative; the Hospital Implementation Toolkit; and training webinars.
PREPARED BY: 211/jm
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: December2025