How can we support early life in 2015 and beyond?

Recent studies have concluded that the conditions under which an infant develops in utero and during the first two years of life – the so-called “early life” period -- have vast and far-reaching effects on both the health of that child and of the adult that he or she becomes. While most of the studies to date have focused on industrialized countries, it is clear that these findings apply to the health of developing country populations as well. However, both recognition of the issues and approaches to addressing the particular challenges of supporting early life in resource-limited settings has received very little attention.  Maternal, newborn and child health programs need to develop an understanding of the specific issues that mothers face during pregnancy and the  infancy and toddler stages of their children that limits their development.  Once identified, a concerted effort is needed to integrate interventions that address those problems into ongoing MNCH programs.  Women’s workloads, anxiety/depression, and domestic violence are three examples of important barriers to optimal child development that are inadequately addressed in many programs today.  Attention to support of early life in today’s children, particularly girls, will be manifest in the health of many generations to come.