Breath by Breath: How Maternal Airway Health Shapes Pregnancy, Birth, and Baby’s First Chapter

January 23rd is Maternal Health Awareness Day. It is a powerful reminder that a healthy pregnancy begins long before delivery — and that airway health and sleep play a critical role in the story of both mother and baby. For 2026, Children’s Airway First Foundation (CAFF) is elevating this message by focusing on maternal airway screening and prenatal sleep health as essential levers for improving infant outcomes.

Why Maternal Health And Airway Health Belong In The Same Conversation

Many women think about nutrition, prenatal vitamins, and exercise when planning a pregnancy, but far fewer are told that how they breathe and sleep can influence their baby’s health. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) — which includes loud snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) — is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for complications during pregnancy.

• OSA in pregnancy has been linked to higher rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age infants.

• SDB is also associated with hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and a greater need for intensive monitoring and intervention around delivery.

For CAFF, maternal health is not separate from infant health; maternal airway function, oxygenation during sleep, and the quality of rest directly shape the environment in which a baby grows. That makes Maternal Health Awareness Day an ideal moment to highlight airway screening and education as part of comprehensive prenatal care.

Understanding OSA And SDB In Pregnancy

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing breathing pauses, drops in oxygen levels, and frequent micro-arousals. Sleep-disordered breathing is a broader term that includes habitual loud snoring, upper airway resistance, and OSA itself.

During pregnancy, several changes increase vulnerability to SDB:

• Weight gain and fluid shifts that narrow the airway.

• Hormonal changes that affect muscle tone and nasal congestion.

• Higher oxygen demands and altered breathing control that can destabilize sleep.

Research shows that pregnant women with OSA face higher risks of:

• Preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

• Gestational diabetes.

• Cesarean delivery and need for intensive maternal monitoring.

These conditions, in turn, can affect the baby through impaired placental blood flow, intermittent fetal hypoxia, and disrupted growth. When SDB is unrecognized, these risks may be attributed only to age or weight, and opportunities to intervene early are lost.

How Maternal Sleep Affects Baby’s Outcomes

Several large studies and reviews have now linked sleep apnea in pregnancy with concerning infant outcomes. While not every woman with SDB will experience complications, the overall patterns are strong enough that airway health deserves a clear place in prenatal discussions.

• Women with OSA are more likely to deliver babies who are low birth weight, preterm, or small for gestational age.

• Sleep apnea has been associated with higher rates of NICU admission, low Apgar scores, and need for resuscitation at birth.

Behind these statistics is a straightforward physiology: repetitive drops in oxygen and surges in stress hormones can impair placental function, alter blood flow, and contribute to both maternal and fetal strain. Over time, this pattern increases the likelihood of complications that can include premature delivery and, in the most severe cases, infant mortality.

For women already living with snoring, daytime fatigue, or a known diagnosis of OSA, pregnancy is not a reason to panic — but it is a reason to ensure that treatment is optimized and that the care team understands the airway picture.

CAFF’s 2026 Focus: Maternal Screening For Airway Disorders

Children’s Airway First Foundation is centering one of its key 2026 initiatives on raising awareness about maternal airway screening as a pathway to healthier infants. The goal is to make questions about breathing and sleep as routine in prenatal care as questions about blood pressure or gestational diabetes.

This emphasis includes:

• Encouraging obstetric and primary care teams to ask targeted questions about snoring, witnessed apneas, morning headaches, and extreme daytime sleepiness.

• Promoting pathways for appropriate diagnostic testing (such as sleep studies) when concerning symptoms or risk factors are present.

• Highlighting collaboration between obstetric providers, sleep specialists, ENT physicians, and airway-focused dental or myofunctional professionals when needed.

By identifying airway issues during the preconception period or early in pregnancy, women gain more time to implement treatment strategies that can support safer pregnancies and more stable fetal environments. This proactive approach aligns with broader Maternal Health Awareness Day goals of reducing preventable complications and saving lives.

Practical Signs Women Should Not Ignore

For women who are pregnant — or considering pregnancy — understanding the warning signs of potential sleep-disordered breathing is a critical first step. The following symptoms warrant a conversation with your health care provider:

• Loud, habitual snoring (especially if it has worsened with pregnancy).

• Witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping, or choking episodes during sleep.

• Waking up unrefreshed, with morning headaches or a very dry mouth.

• Significant daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, or irritability that goes beyond typical pregnancy fatigue.

• History of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, obesity, or prior preeclampsia, especially when combined with snoring.

Not every tired pregnant woman has OSA, but heavy snoring plus medical risk factors should always raise a flag. Early screening allows clinicians to decide whether simple lifestyle measures, closer monitoring, or formal sleep testing are appropriate.

Pathways To Safer Pregnancies: What Evaluation And Treatment Can Look Like

For many women, learning that sleep apnea may be affecting their pregnancy feels overwhelming at first, but effective treatment options exist. The aim is not perfection, but meaningful improvement in oxygenation, sleep quality, and overall health.

Possible elements of care include:

• Sleep studies: Home or in-lab testing to clarify whether OSA or another form of SDB is present and how severe it is.

• Positive airway pressure therapy: CPAP or related devices that keep the airway open during sleep and are commonly used in pregnancy with appropriate supervision.

• Positional strategies, nasal treatments, and weight management plans tailored to the pregnant body.

• Coordination of obstetric, anesthesia, and neonatal teams around delivery to ensure safe monitoring in labor and postpartum.

Studies suggest that identifying and managing sleep apnea in pregnancy may reduce the risk of complications such as hypertension and preterm birth, although more research is still emerging. The key message is that women have options — and that speaking up about symptoms is an act of protection for both themselves and their babies.

Empowering Women Before, During, And After Pregnancy

Maternal Health Awareness Day is as much about empowerment as it is about risk. CAFF’s 2026 initiative recognizes that informed women are better equipped to advocate for themselves, ask the right questions, and partner actively in care decisions.

For women planning a pregnancy:

• Scheduling a preconception visit that includes discussion of sleep, snoring, and energy levels can surface airway concerns early.

• Addressing weight, nasal obstruction, and suspected sleep apnea before conception can improve baseline health and potentially lower risk once pregnant.

For women already pregnant:

• Keeping a simple sleep and symptom log can provide concrete examples to share with clinicians.

• Asking explicitly, “Could sleep apnea or airway issues be part of what I’m experiencing?” invites the care team to think beyond routine labs and ultrasounds.

This proactive stance is not about blame or perfectionism. It is about using every available tool — nutrition, mental health support, airway health, and prenatal care — to build the strongest possible foundation for a new life.

The Whole-Person View: Mental, Emotional, And Reproductive Health

OSA and SDB do not only affect blood pressure and birth weight, they also influence how women feel day to day. Poor sleep and intermittent hypoxia can increase vulnerability to mood disorders, including perinatal depression and anxiety, which carry their own risks for both mother and baby.

• Sleep disruption can heighten stress responses and make emotional regulation more difficult, particularly in already demanding life circumstances.

• Addressing airway health and sleep can support clearer thinking, steadier mood, and a greater sense of resilience in facing pregnancy’s physical and emotional changes.

This is why CAFF’s messaging around maternal airway health emphasizes a whole-person lens that values mental, emotional, physical, and reproductive well-being as interconnected. Choosing to explore airway and sleep health is not just a clinical decision. It is a self-care decision that honors a woman’s overall health and her vision for motherhood.

Education, Awareness, And The Role Of Community

Transforming maternal and infant outcomes requires more than individual effort. It demands systems and communities that recognize airway health as part of standard maternal care. Maternal Health Awareness Day provides a platform for hospitals, providers, and advocacy groups like CAFF to share resources, host events, and promote simple screening messages that can be life-changing.

Key levers include:

• Training providers to recognize SDB risk profiles and to feel confident discussing sleep health with patients.

• Integrating brief airway and sleep questions into prenatal intake forms and electronic health records.

• Creating accessible public education materials — articles, webinars, checklists — that help women self-identify red flags and know when to seek care.

When awareness spreads, stigma decreases, and women feel safer naming symptoms that might otherwise be dismissed as “just pregnancy”. As more stories and data accumulate, the case for routine maternal airway screening becomes stronger, paving the way for policy and guideline changes that benefit families for generations.

Maternal Health Awareness Day 2026 is an invitation for women — whether they are already pregnant or simply thinking about it — to see airway health and sleep as core pillars of prenatal and preconception care. By learning the signs of sleep-disordered breathing, asking for appropriate screening, and engaging in evidence-based treatment when needed, women can actively protect their own health and give their babies a stronger, safer start in life.

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Maternal Health Awareness Day shines a spotlight on the health and safety of women during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period, with a special focus on preventing avoidable maternal deaths and complications. In 2026, it is observed on January 23, with the theme “Holding Ground on Maternal Health”. It serves as a call to action for patients, providers, and communities to recognize risks, close care gaps, and promote policies that support safe, respectful, high-quality maternal care for all. This day is important because the United States continues to face unacceptably high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly among marginalized groups, and targeted awareness can drive earlier screening, better treatment, and ultimately healthier mothers and babies.