About Lydie’s Loop

Last year’s Lydie’s Loop raised more than $19,000 to benefit Count the Kicks. Because of funding from Lydie’s Loop, we were able to add a strength feature on the Count the Kicks app. App users are now able to monitor the strength of their babies’ movements. This is another important vital sign that should be monitored during the third trimester.

Funds from last year’s event also went directly to training Ohio nurses and doctors in how to have the kick counting conversation with expectant parents. More trained providers = better birth outcomes.

Honoring Lydie

Registration is now open for the sixth annual Lydie’s Loop, which is planned for Sept. 18. We asked Heather to share more about this event and how you can get involved in sharing the cause.

“Lydie’s Loop is an event that I plan in honor of my second child, Lydia, who was suddenly stillborn due to an umbilical cord accident when I was 34 weeks pregnant. She was perfect, but born without a heartbeat.

Lydie would be 6 1/2, just 20 months younger than her big bro and 11 months older than her little sis. Recently a neighbor kid asked me how it was possible that I could love someone I do not know. I told him surely his parents loved him not only the second they laid eyes on him, but also when he was in his mom’s tummy. It’s the same for me with Lydie. I loved her while I grew her for 34 weeks and I fell even more in love with her that first moment I laid eyes on her. 

It’s a love that only grows, even though she doesn’t.

It’s difficult to know what to do with all that love, when I can’t coach her soccer team or give her a hug as she gets on the school bus. Instead, I plant flowers in her garden and we light a candle and tell her we love her out loud. I volunteer my time for Count the Kicks to prevent what happened to Lydie from happening to other babies. 

The most important thing I do with all this love with nowhere to go is plan Lydie’s Loop. It’s a 1 mile walk, 5K run, kids’ dash, silent auction, raffle, and all around good time where hundreds of people come together to celebrate the babies we never got to know. Creating this space, this happy morning, where we are CELEBRATING our love for our dead babies, is one of my proudest accomplishments. In five years, we’ve raised $100,000 for stillbirth prevention.” -Heather Johnston Welliver, Lydie’s mom; Count the Kicks Ohio Ambassador

Register for Lydie’s Loop

The Sixth Annual Lydie’s Loop: Steps Against Stillbirth will be held Sept. 18 in Gahanna, Ohio. Participants can register to participate either in-person or virtually. Proceeds from this year’s event will again benefit Count the Kicks mission to make kick counting a common practice in the third trimester of pregnancy. 

The deadline to have a name included on this year’s shirt is Aug. 31. Find more details and register here: www.lydiesloop.org

The post Lydie’s Loop Helps Share the Cause of Kick Counting appeared first on Count the Kicks.

We’re excited to introduce you to King Kyro, the newest arrival for Count the Kicks New Jersey Ambassador Vu-An Foster. In honor of Rainbow Baby Day, we asked her to share more about her experience with pregnancy after loss, pregnancy during a pandemic, and what having a rainbow baby means to her.

Congrats on the safe arrival of your new baby! Can you tell us more about your family and your new baby? 

After suffering two preventable second-trimester pregnancy losses due to incompetent cervix diagnosis, we welcomed our rainbow baby King Kyro at 40 weeks on the 4th of July. He was born weighing 10 pounds 9 ounces. 

How long have you been a Count the Kicks Ambassador and what does it mean to you? 

I have been a Count the Kicks ambassador since January 2021. This work is important to me because I never want a mother or family to experience what I went through with my losses. This is why I am so passionate about educating women, expectant mothers, and families on preventative measures in regards to pregnancy and infant loss. As a Public Health professional, I will continue to make a difference and improve maternal child health outcomes in honor of my girls.

Please tell us more about your experience being pregnant after losing a baby to stillbirth. 

I just want to clarify my second loss was a stillbirth by definition, as it occurred after 20 weeks. However, I did not have a stillbirth, in the sense that she was born sleeping. 

Nevertheless, during this pregnancy, I went in with the mindset, “different pregnancy, different outcome.” We celebrated every week I remained pregnant, as well as the big milestones. Also, everything I wanted to do in my first two pregnancies, I put it out there in the universe and manifested it. 

The most important part of my pregnancy that I am leaving out is that this time around, I let my providers know I would be an active partner in my care. No longer would my life and my baby’s life rest solely in their hands. I believe this made a world of a difference for us and is why I am holding my second rainbow today. 

Did the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on your pregnancy experience? 

Yes, COVID-19 impacted my pregnancy. Part of my healing process after my losses was changing my perspective; not everything that happens to you has to be seen as a negative. 

I was employed by the same company I was working for when I had my loss. For this pregnancy, I was placed on leave as my employer was unable to accommodate my request for special accommodation, which ended up giving me more time to solely focus on my high-risk pregnancy. 

Also, only moms were allowed to attend OB/GYN visits and we could only have one visitor for the scans if the COVID-19 numbers were high. This was hard, but I knew this was a precaution to not only keep moms and babies safe, but also the staff taking care of us as well. 

Tell us more about your experience using the FREE Count the Kicks app during your rainbow baby pregnancy.

I used the Count the Kicks app during my pregnancy to count the kicks and learn my baby’s norm surrounding movement. Instead of starting to count kicks in the third trimester, I started at 26 weeks, as I was considered a high-risk pregnancy. 

It not only gave me peace of mind, but it also helped me bond with my baby, especially when bonding with your baby can be so hard when you have multiple preventable losses.   

What was your favorite feature of the Count the Kicks app?

My favorite feature of the Count the Kicks app was how easy it was to count the kicks and the graph that kept a record of your baby’s movement. 

It’s Rainbow Baby Day! Do you use this term, and if so, what does it mean to you to have a rainbow baby? 

I do use the term “rainbow baby.” Rainbow baby is my baby after the storm.

What do you want other moms to know about stillbirth, pregnancy after loss, and the Count the Kicks campaign? 

I want other moms to know two things: First, pregnancy after loss is not easy so, please give yourself grace; Second, Count the Kicks campaign is not to scare you, it is a tool/ resource to help you prevent a loss.

What do you hope to accomplish in your role as a Count the Kicks Ambassador in your state? 

I would love to see the state of New Jersey adopt the Count the Kicks program. My state is already doing so much fantastic workaround improving Maternal Child Health outcomes, it would be great to include this program in our efforts. 

About Our Ambassadors

Count the Kicks Ambassadors help us educate expectant parents and providers across the U.S. about the importance of kick counting in the third trimester of pregnancy. This incredible group of kick counting advocates are essential to our efforts to reach as many parents and providers as possible. Our Ambassador team currently includes 42 women representing 28 states, plus Washington, D.C., Canada and India. The team includes 33 who work in honor of lost babies, five that are baby save moms, and four who are birth workers.

Visit our website to learn more about our Ambassador program. 

The post Rainbow Baby Day: Meet King Kyro appeared first on Count the Kicks.

We’re excited to introduce you to Cal, the newest arrival for Count the Kicks Georgia Ambassador Erica Aitken. In honor of Rainbow Baby Day, we asked her to share more about her experience with pregnancy after loss, pregnancy during a pandemic, and what having a rainbow baby means to her.

Congrats on the safe arrival of your new baby! Can you tell us more about your family and your new baby? 

My husband, Jesse, and I have been together for 16 wonderful years! Our fur-child, Belle, is our first born (haha!). She was followed by our first human daughter, Josie, who is currently 4.5 years old, and Alex, who was stillborn in October of 2019, and last but definitely not least, our son, Cal. Calvin Thaddeus Aitken was born Aug. 27, 2020 at 6:37 p.m., and measured 6 lbs., 6 oz. and 20 inches. He had blonde hair at birth and we have no clue where that came from since we all have brown hair! His hair has darkened as he’s grown over the past year.

How long have you been a Count the Kicks Ambassador and what does it mean to you? 

I became a Count the Kicks Ambassador in June of 2020, during my third trimester of pregnancy with Cal. After losing Alex, I knew I needed to give back in some way to honor her, and becoming an integral part of Count the Kicks was the obvious answer to this calling.

Please tell us more about your experience being pregnant after losing a baby to stillbirth. 

I got pregnant again very quickly after losing Alex. She was born still on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2019, and I found out I was pregnant with Cal on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2019. I recognize how fortunate I am to get pregnant so easily, however this rapid timeline did not allow me the time to properly grieve Alex and launched me into emotional turmoil. 

I was extremely hesitant to share the news of my pregnancy with anyone, not even my own family. Honestly, I was terrified that Cal would die too and I knew I could not survive the loss of another child. 

I was so laid-back during my pregnancies with both of my daughters and trusted my body to do its job and protect them, and I felt I’d personally failed Alex. I was riddled with anxiety during my entire pregnancy with Cal and was constantly worried about him. To sum things up, being pregnant with Cal was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. I don’t think I could put myself through that again.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on your pregnancy experience? 

Yes! Not only was I reeling from my very recent loss of Alex, coupled with the emotional upheaval of being pregnant again so quickly, but I also had to remain a recluse from any sense of normalcy in life for fear of COVID-19 harming me or my baby. 

Jesse and I did not want to take any risks with Cal after all we’d been through with Alex. I didn’t see my family or friends and had no face-to-face support system. I stayed home — all. the. time. I felt utterly alone and had no escape. I couldn’t even have a glass of wine to try to relax! It was so, so, so hard. 

Another major downside of COVID was that none of my family or friends could come visit Cal right after he was born, for fear of getting him sick. 

Tell us more about your experience using the FREE Count the Kicks app during your rainbow baby pregnancy.

I used the Count the Kicks app at least once daily starting at 26 weeks of pregnancy with Cal. At first using the app made me very nervous. I would worry if I didn’t get 10 movements in around 20 minutes. 

After a week or two of using the app and learning what movement patterns were normal for my baby, I grew to greatly appreciate the knowledge I gained about how Cal moved. It reassured me to know he was moving in ways that were typical for him. I felt more and more confident that he was OK, since his movement patterns were pretty reliable.

What was your favorite feature of the Count the Kicks app?

Being able to view the history of how my baby moves and share that information with my doctor is most definitely my favorite feature of the app.

It’s Rainbow Baby Day! Do you use this term, and if so, what does it mean to you to have a rainbow baby? 

I understand that many people use and love the term “rainbow baby” and I’ve come to accept that most people refer to my son that way. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of this term, as it implies that my beautiful precious daughter, Alex, was a storm. She is not nor will she ever be a storm to me. She is just as much a lovely rainbow as Cal is. I wish she were here with us today more than anything.

What do you want other moms to know about stillbirth, pregnancy after loss, and the Count the Kicks campaign? 

TRUST YOUR GUT INSTINCTS, MAMA! Did I say that emphatically enough?! I wish I’d listened to my internal nagging that something wasn’t right with Alex. I didn’t. And I will never be able to totally forgive myself for that. 

Truly, if you feel something isn’t right with your pregnancy or baby, go to the doctor or hospital. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just go to the doctor right away. 

What do you hope to accomplish in your role as a Count the Kicks Ambassador in your state? 

I hope to help educate expectant parents in Georgia on the vital importance of tracking their baby’s movement in the third trimester of pregnancy. If I can help one mama pick up the Count the Kicks app, trust both the data that it provides as well as her gut intuition, and feel empowered enough to speak up and save her baby if the baby’s movement patterns change, then I’ll feel Alex’s life was not lost in vain. 

Nobody should have to say goodbye to their child before they even get a chance to say a proper hello. It is a cruel heart-wrenching torture that I would not wish on my worst enemy.

About Our Ambassadors

Count the Kicks Ambassadors help us educate expectant parents and providers across the U.S. about the importance of kick counting in the third trimester of pregnancy. This incredible group of kick counting advocates are essential to our efforts to reach as many parents and providers as possible. Our Ambassador team currently includes 42 women representing 28 states, plus Washington, D.C., Canada and India. The team includes 33 who work in honor of lost babies, five that are baby save moms, and four who are birth workers.

Visit our website to learn more about our Ambassador program. 

The post Rainbow Baby Day: Meet Calvin appeared first on Count the Kicks.

Today we’re celebrating the safe arrival of the Rainbow Babies born to Count the Kicks Ambassadors in the past year. We asked Minnesota Ambassador Tausha Patterson to share her experience with pregnancy after loss, pregnancy during a pandemic, and what having a rainbow baby means to her.

Congrats on the safe arrival of your new baby! Can you tell us more about your family and your new baby? 

My husband Luke and I are high school sweethearts who have been together for 18 years. We have two older children and three younger ones. Amelia is our fourth child who was born still at 36 weeks, on Aug. 25, 2019. Our rainbow baby, Eleanor, was born a year later on Aug. 30, 2020.

How long have you been a Count the Kicks Ambassador and what does it mean to you? 

I have been an Ambassador with Count the Kicks for almost two years. After losing Amelia, I have come to learn that so many women do not know the importance of tracking baby’s movement, how to do it and speaking up when something has changed. 

I wish I had known this information when I was pregnant with Amelia; she might be here if I had. I unfortunately cannot change that, but I can educate women, nurses and doctors and hope that this information saves babies lives. 

Please tell us more about your experience being pregnant after losing a baby to stillbirth. 

Pregnancy after loss is one of the most difficult things I have gone through. The bliss and joy is no longer there and instead filled with fear, worry and anxiety. It’s a lot of sleepless nights, worrying if the baby is OK and moving. Constantly checking on baby’s movement, LOTS of advocating for yourself, doctors’ visits and Labor and Delivery visits. In the end, it is all worth it to hear your baby cry and know that you have a living baby to bring home.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on your pregnancy experience? 

I was thankful that COVID-19 didn’t hit until after my 12-week appointment, so my husband was able to accompany me until that point. After COVID-19 hit, it was really hard not having him there. He was my support through all of this and to not have him there or knowing he was waiting by the phone, wondering if there was a heartbeat. It was horrible! 

Being pregnant during COVID-19 has added way more anxiety, not just with the impact on appointments and not having my husband there, but also worried about getting COVID-19 and will you live, will your baby live?

Tell us more about your experience using the FREE Count the Kicks app during your rainbow baby pregnancy.

Count the Kicks was my rock during my pregnancy with Eleanor. As soon as I noticed she started to have a regular movement pattern, which was before 26 weeks as recommended for a high-risk pregnancy, I started using the app. 

She had a good routine until 32 weeks when all of a sudden, I was going in at least once a week because her movements changed and weren’t normal for her. Her movements were taking longer, and they weren’t as strong. Thankfully everything was good with her every time I went in. 

When you are pregnant after losing a baby, you feel like you have lost all control but with using the Count the Kicks app I felt empowered and it gave me some control back in my pregnancy.

What was your favorite feature of the Count the Kicks app?

I really liked how easy it was to use the app. It’s a simple press of the foot until I get to 10 movements. I also liked the history tracking to see how my baby’s movement was tracking each day.  

It’s National Rainbow Baby Day. Do you use this term, and if so, what does it mean to you to have a rainbow baby? 

I don’t use the term too often when talking about Eleanor or my older daughter, Esmeralda; we had a miscarriage before having Esme. I don’t like the thought of Rainbow Baby being the rainbow after a storm and our baby who passed away being a storm or something bad. Yes, being a loss mom is terrible, but our Angel babies are beautiful and special and it’s not bad.

What do you want other moms to know about stillbirth, pregnancy after loss, and the Count the Kicks campaign? 

I want all women, doctors, nurses and birth educators to know how important it is to track baby’s movement. I also want them to know the correct way to track their baby’s movement and what to do if something changes. I want doctors, nurses and birth educators to know that it will not scare a mom by telling a mom how important fetal movement tracking is and that they need to call or be seen when something changes. 

I want everyone to know that a baby’s movement is the first thing to change if something is wrong with the baby and not the baby’s heartbeat. Lastly, I want women to know that unfortunately, stillbirth still happens, and that we can do something about it to reduce how often it does happen.

What do you hope to accomplish in your role as a Count the Kicks Ambassador in your state? 

I am hoping that I can get Count the Kicks implemented in WIC programs in our state. I am also hoping I can get Count the Kicks implemented in my personal OB clinic as well as the Birth Education courses in the hospitals in Minnesota. 

I hope to someday make this statewide and have all Ob/Gyns and nurses teaching this in every clinic. Most of all I hope to reduce the stillbirth rate in Minnesota and save babies.

About Our Ambassadors

Count the Kicks Ambassadors help us educate expectant parents and providers across the U.S. about the importance of kick counting in the third trimester of pregnancy. This incredible group of kick counting advocates are essential to our efforts to reach as many parents and providers as possible. Our Ambassador team currently includes 42 women representing 28 states, plus Washington, D.C., Canada and India. The team includes 33 who work in honor of lost babies, five that are baby save moms, and four who are birth workers.

Learn more about our Ambassador program. 

The post Rainbow Baby Day: Meet Eleanor appeared first on Count the Kicks.

Today we’re celebrating the safe arrival of the Rainbow Babies born this year to Count the Kicks Ambassadors. We asked Missouri Ambassador Erica Bailey to share her experience with pregnancy after loss, pregnancy during a pandemic, and what having a rainbow baby means to her.

Congrats on the safe arrival of your new baby! Can you tell us more about your family and your new baby? 

Not long after my husband and I got married, we knew we wanted to start our family. We got pregnant with Rhoan, our firstborn son, and he had a perfectly normal pregnancy. I loved being pregnant with him! It was everything I thought it would be, until the very end at 39 weeks when he died unexpectedly. 

I was not aware I should have been keeping track of his movements and I will always wonder “what if” I had known, could be here now? He was stillborn on March 5, 2020 and he was perfect in every way. He was a little copy of his daddy. We will always have a hole in our hearts and family in the shape of him. Forever loved and never forgotten – Rhoan Osborne Bailey.

After Rhoan died, it was excruciating to come home to a quiet house and an empty nursery. Not long after, the entire world shut down because of COVID-19. We were forced to sit alone in our grief. Our hearts ached to love and hold a living child, so we knew we wanted to grow our family.

Three months later, we got pregnant with Rhoan’s little brother, Bear! After a complicated PAL pregnancy, Bear Odin was born healthy and alive on Jan. 26, 2021. He is so sweet, full of smiles and giggles, and looks a lot like his mama and a little like his big brother. 

How long have you been a Count the Kicks Ambassador and what does it mean to you? 

I have only recently become an Ambassador, but I knew I wanted to be one as soon as I learned about Count the Kicks. If only I had known about Count the Kicks when I was pregnant with Rhoan, he could be here. 

He was trying to tell me something was wrong when his movements were slowing down in those last weeks, but I was not tracking, and I believed the myths that “babies slow down before labor” and “babies run out of room in the 3rd trimester,” which are both NOT true. If I had known my baby was trying to communicate with me, I could have alerted my providers to the change, and we could have delivered him before he died to save his life.

I don’t want another family to experience the unbelievable heartbreaking tragedy that is losing a child to stillbirth. Stillbirth is not a one-time event. It affects the rest of your life. You miss out on an entire lifetime of memories with your child.

Please tell us more about your experience being pregnant after losing a baby to stillbirth. 

Being pregnant again after losing my first son to stillbirth at 39 weeks was the second hardest thing I have ever done. All the blissful ignorance of a first-time mom is gone out the window because now that I am a loss mom, I know too many things that can go wrong. 

I remember seeing other families with little boys and thinking, “that should be us already” instead of “that’s going to be us.” I was painfully aware of how nothing is guaranteed.

My pregnancy-after-loss (PAL) pregnancy was so different from my first pregnancy in many ways. My first pregnancy was literally perfect. I had barely any sickness. I was able to exercise the whole time, and felt great. I had no anxiety. It was a magical time. With my second pregnancy, I was living in fear every moment. I didn’t know what the next day was going to bring, and I was terrified of having another baby die. 

My PAL pregnancy had physical challenges unlike my first. At 13 weeks, I suffered a huge bleeding episode and went to the ER. I thought we were losing our second son. I was diagnosed with a subchorionic hemorrhage and put on pelvic rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. 

So now not only was I high-risk from having a previous stillbirth, but my PAL pregnancy was high-risk again because of the risk of placental abruption from the subchorionic hemorrhage. Every day I felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. We also had a cancer scare at 16 weeks and I was ordered to get a MRI. It felt like we couldn’t catch a break and it was exhausting.

Another big difference between my pregnancies was that I did not advocate for myself and my baby in my first pregnancy. I was very trusting of what others told me and ignored my gut instincts. 

With my second pregnancy, I was advocating for myself and my son at every appointment. I asked for the extra scans, extra appointments, and extra surveillance. I monitored my baby’s movements religiously. When things felt off, I went into labor and delivery to get checked. This happened multiple times in my third trimester. With Rhoan, I made the mistake of “sleeping on it” and going in too late; I was not going to do that again.

Despite all the scary things going on, my husband and I decided that we were going to let ourselves feel the joy of this pregnancy any chance we could because we knew a life with our son was not guaranteed. We planned an outdoor surprise gender reveal party for our friends and family. I will never forget the tears and smiles from that day. It was so special. We also went on a small babymoon a few hours away for a weekend. We wanted to make as many memories as possible with this baby just like we did with his older brother.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on your pregnancy experience? 

Being pregnant after loss through a pandemic was (almost) 9 months of holding my breath. 

Since the hospital had a “no visitors policy,” I had to advocate very hard, repeatedly, to have my husband with me at my appointments. I personally believe there should always be a visitor allowed for beginning and end of life care. 

Since I had found out my first son died during a doppler and then ultrasound check, all my appointments were extra triggering to my PTSD. There was no way I could be in those without my husband. 

It took many crying phone calls to the doctor’s office manager and beyond to get my husband permission to come with me. This added more unnecessary anxiety to an already anxiety provoking experience. There were plenty of times we would show up to the appointment and have to explain our situation all over again (when we already had prior approval) because of the lack of communication to the front desk staff or nurses. 

I am grateful that both our Ob/Gyn and Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor agreed that I should not be alone in my appointments. Having my husband in to support me and our son made a rough PAL a little easier.

COVID-19 also added another layer of loneliness during this pregnancy that was different. Because of social distancing, I felt like my second baby wasn’t loved on by family and friends like my first was. But I wasn’t willing to take the risk of getting sick and putting my baby in danger. Lots of alone time at home for me just meant more time counting kicks and 1-on-1 time with my baby!

Tell us more about your experience using the FREE Count the Kicks app during your rainbow baby pregnancy.

I started using Count the Kicks when I turned 26 weeks since I was considered high-risk. I would use it multiple times per day, every day because I wanted to learn my baby’s normal. Every baby is different, and Bear was certainly different from Rhoan. Of course, Bear had an anterior placenta, which made things a little more difficult, but the app made things a lot easier because I could easily see which times of day he was active and how long it would take him to get to 10 movements each session. By doing this multiple times per day, I felt like I was bonding with my baby and really getting to know him. It never felt like a burden to me because I would get to sit and have quiet time with my baby. 

There were a few times I noticed Bear wasn’t moving as much, and I would call my OB on the way to L&D triage to get checked. Every single time I went in, the nurses were so kind to me and told me if I needed to come in 100 times to make sure my baby was OK, I could do it. That made me feel better.

In my 3rd trimester, I had weekly appointments for Non-Stress Tests and Biophysical Profiles. At my 36-week appointment, I woke up and noticed that Bear was not moving like he normally would. I alerted my providers at my NST/BPP appointment that day and they became concerned because his heart rate kept dropping during my contractions. Due to my history and his lack of movements, they decided to admit me that day.

They monitored us all night long, and it was very uneasy to hear the alarms go off every time his heart rate dropped. Early the next morning, my OB came in to check me and I was already 5 cm dilated. She broke my water, and Bear was born 4 hours later. Healthy and alive at 6 lbs. 12 ounces!

I can’t help but wonder what would have happened had I not spoken up and told them Bear had slowed down. Luckily, I don’t have to because I did speak up. My providers listened, took action, and Bear is here in my arms today.

What was your favorite feature of the Count the Kicks app?

I loved being able to see the kick session history so I could compare my baby’s kick count sessions to make sure he was within his normal range. There are enough things to worry about during a pregnancy (especially a pregnancy after loss), so to have all this information easily accessible right at my fingertips was so helpful to me. Anything to help a mama with grief-brain AND pregnancy-brain is much appreciated!

It’s National Rainbow Baby Day. Do you use this term, and if so, what does it mean to you to have a rainbow baby? 

I am personally not a huge fan of the term “rainbow baby,” especially when it is used by other people who have never experienced the death of a child. Not everyone gets a rainbow and not all rainbow babies get to come home. I also don’t want Rhoan’s legacy to be defined as a “storm.” He is my first baby who made me a mom, and a fierce mama bear at that! Because of Rhoan, I will always trust my instincts because he taught me that my mother’s intuition is powerful.

It is hard to put words to what it is like parenting a live child after loss. Holding Bear on my chest after birth, feeling him breathe, hearing him cry, was an out-of-body experience. It felt surreal. I felt like I could breathe again. I have never felt so much joy and grief in the same moment. But with every joyful experience, there is also grief and sadness because we never got that with Rhoan. 

While I get to see my youngest grow up and experience life, my heart constantly aches for his older brother who was robbed of that chance. My heart also breaks for Bear who doesn’t get to experience having an older brother alive to grow up with him. It is just very bittersweet. Joy and grief go hand-in-hand, and that is something I am learning to accept. We never “move on.” Somehow, we keep getting stronger and the grief changes over time. It never goes away, and one baby will never replace another. Our family will forever be incomplete. 

What do you want other moms to know about stillbirth, pregnancy after loss, and the Count the Kicks campaign? 

There are so many things that we do not have control over in pregnancy (almost nothing really), but the one thing we do have control over is speaking up when we feel something is not right. We are our baby’s voice, and they are communicating to us through their movements. Trust your mother’s intuition and don’t second guess yourself. Alert your providers and go in to get checked as many times as you need to. Even on a holiday. Even on a weekend. Even if you already had an appointment that day. Labor and Delivery Triage is available to you 24/7. They want to help you. That is their job. I doubted myself when I thought something was wrong, and I will always regret not going in sooner. Maybe my firstborn son could be here alive.

What do you hope to accomplish in your role as a Count the Kicks Ambassador in your state? 

My goal is that every pregnant patient in Missouri knows about Count the Kicks and how to properly monitor their baby’s (babies’) movements in the third trimester. It should not take a loss for moms to learn this life-saving information!

About Our Ambassadors

Count the Kicks Ambassadors help us educate expectant parents and providers across the U.S. about the importance of kick counting in the third trimester of pregnancy. This incredible group of kick counting advocates are essential to our efforts to reach as many parents and providers as possible. Our Ambassador team currently includes 42 women representing 28 states, plus Washington, D.C., Canada and India. The team includes 33 who work in honor of lost babies, five that are baby save moms, and four who are birth workers.

Visit our website to learn more about our Ambassador program. 

The post Rainbow Baby Day: Meet Bear appeared first on Count the Kicks.

We’re excited to introduce you to Eddie, the newest arrival for Count the Kicks Texas Ambassador Shannon Pike. In honor of Rainbow Baby Day, we asked her to share more about her experience with pregnancy after loss, pregnancy during a pandemic, and what having a rainbow baby means to her.

Congrats on the safe arrival of your new baby! Can you tell us more about your family and your new baby? 

After our first baby (Marie) was stillborn (in May 2018), and suffering the miscarriage of twins just a few months later, there was a time during my most acute grief where my world felt so painfully empty. Today, I look at my family and am overwhelmed with gratitude for the joy and chaos brought on by our two living kids, Freya and Eddie. Our house is light and fun and full of so much love. 

All of our kids look so much alike and have an energy about them that feels otherworldly to me. It feels like we get to have a little glimpse into what Marie would’ve been (and is, in her own way). Freya brings the toddler energy and is a chatty, intuitive, hilarious little thing. She expresses her love for people so sweetly but has a spicy side! And our newest arrival, Eddie, fills a space we never knew needed filling. He is an incredibly calm and content baby that has made our family feel closer to complete, even though we will always be missing our oldest girl. 

It’s been a healing experience to see siblings growing together and to lean into our new family dynamic.

How long have you been a Count the Kicks Ambassador and what does it mean to you? 

I’ve been an Ambassador for about six months. It has been a really meaningful step forward for me, to just begin this journey and officially connect with the organization. Stillbirth awareness is a multifaceted initiative and I wish I could solve all of the challenges families face related to stillbirth, from preventing it to coping through the pain when it happens. But this often leaves me overwhelmed, and for a long time that tripped me up in taking my “next step” in becoming an advocate. Count the Kicks has given me direction and focus for making a difference. The Count the Kicks mission is simple, actionable, and accessible, and I’m so honored to be part of it.

Please tell us more about your experience being pregnant after losing a baby to stillbirth. 

My third pregnancy, which led to the birth of my living daughter, was mentally and emotionally excruciating. I was gripped by anxiety and fear, and had to work extremely hard to keep my body and my heart calm. I poured myself into work, house projects, and self care to make the time go faster. 

My fourth pregnancy, which brought us our son, was much more peaceful, and I had very little time to sit around and worry while chasing after a toddler. I certainly had fears and overwhelming feelings throughout it, but I had more trust in myself and my body this time. I didn’t believe that would ever be the case for me, so it was a really pleasant surprise.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on your pregnancy experience? 

One of the toughest things about being pregnant during the pandemic was attending appointments without my husband — and I had a lot of appointments. It’s terrifying to have to imagine getting the worst news when you’re all alone, and he has been my partner in our journey in every sense of the word. 

One positive thing was not seeing many people, and therefore not being asked too many intrusive questions or fielding flippant comments about pregnancy. In our culture, pregnancy is often seen primarily as an exciting and promising time, and that can be difficult to face after you’ve gone through a traumatic loss. 

I like to balance joy and hope with the reality of the risks and seriousness of pregnancy, and people don’t always understand that or feel comfortable engaging on that level. I try to practice acceptance and be understanding of that, but I do prefer living honestly and not shying away from the tough conversations and the truth about what my family looks like. Marie is very much a part of who we are.

Tell us more about your experience using the FREE Count the Kicks app during your rainbow baby pregnancy.

I used the app twice per day, every day in the third trimester. It brought me tremendous peace and a deeper trust in my intuition, and it helped me separate my anxiety from real concern. I did not experience any changes in my son’s movement patterns, and I am so glad I never had to sit and wonder about whether or not he was acting normal. I always knew, because I always counted. 

What was your favorite feature of the Count the Kicks app?

Baby Save stories. It’s so incredible to read real-life stories of kick counting in action. Data and statistics are so very important for any cause, but human stories hold so much power to affect change. It’s incredibly motivating for me to stick with Count the Kicks and be part of the mission in even the smallest ways when I read those stories. 

It’s Rainbow Baby Day! Do you use this term, and if so, what does it mean to you to have a rainbow baby? 

I do use the term! I don’t connect particularly deeply with it, but I like having verbiage for my experience that is pretty much universally understood in and outside the pregnancy loss community. 

Symbolically, the imagery of the rainbow always makes me think of sunshine and storms happening together, just as we can hold multiple emotions at once, and how that brings the full spectrum of color and emotion into view in a rainbow. Experiencing child loss and parenting living children is a blend of so many emotions. It’s dark, it’s beautiful, it’s painful, and it’s healing. And it’s OK to feel it all. 

What do you want other moms to know about stillbirth, pregnancy after loss, and the Count the Kicks campaign? 

I want parents to know that your mindset dictates how you experience kick counting. Some parents worry it will increase their anxiety; if that is you, reframe the way you see this tool. 

It is an empowering practice that helps you parent your baby before they are earthside. It’s also a simple and special opportunity to put your day aside and bond with them. 

Pregnancy after loss will likely be the hardest thing you do aside from the loss itself, but with the right tools and support system, you can get through it. Lean on the people who will validate your struggle and hold space for your feelings. It helps to find connections with other people going through the same thing. And find a healthcare provider you trust!

What do you hope to accomplish in your role as a Count the Kicks Ambassador in your state? 

I’m particularly excited about the potential to connect with organizations that focus on reducing racial and socioeconomic disparities in maternal-fetal healthcare. And at my core, I want all parents to feel empowered through each pregnancy and to have tools that help them play an active role in caring and advocating for their baby. 

About Our Ambassadors

Count the Kicks Ambassadors help us educate expectant parents and providers across the U.S. about the importance of kick counting in the third trimester of pregnancy. This incredible group of kick counting advocates are essential to our efforts to reach as many parents and providers as possible. Our Ambassador team currently includes 42 women representing 28 states, plus Washington, D.C., Canada and India. The team includes 33 who work in honor of lost babies, five that are baby save moms, and four who are birth workers.

Visit our website to learn more about our Ambassador program. 

The post Rainbow Baby Day: Meet Eddie appeared first on Count the Kicks.

Jasmine and Lindsay became friends while working together as international missionaries, and kept in touch after returning to their home countries. In 2014, Lindsay Rager was expecting her first baby. Unfortunately, her baby, Sadie, was born still on Nov. 14, 2014 due to a suspected cord injury when Lindsay was in her eighth month of pregnancy. 

Lindsay had been counting Sadie’s movements, but only with limited understanding of what kinds of movements are good and what signs to watch out for that could indicate her baby was in distress. Determined to honor Sadie and help spread awareness after her death, Lindsay openly shared her devastating story with friends and family and on social media, which is how Jasmine learned that stillbirth is a very real and potentially preventable birth outcome even in today’s modern world. 

In 2019, Jasmine found herself expecting a baby. She had a healthy pregnancy despite being high risk due to her advanced maternal age and medical history. Her baby, Audrey, was a “super active” baby, so when Jasmine noticed that her daughter’s movements had not only decreased in amount, but that her quick, strong movements had also become sluggish in nature, Jasmine knew she had to speak up. 

Jasmine had been regularly receiving ultrasounds and had a recent doctor appointment, but she could not shake the knowledge that Lindsay had given her: movement could be a sign of distress, stillbirth is real, and in some cases, can be preventable IF a mom speaks up in time.  Jasmine acted quickly and went to the hospital where the medical team agreed that her baby was in distress. Her baby was delivered safely via C-section, and her doctors found that the baby’s cord was both compressed and prolapsed (when the umbilical cord slips ahead of the baby and moves into the cervical canal).

Lindsay is grateful that by sharing her story of loss she was able to make a difference in how Jasmine and Audrey’s story ended. “I am truly grateful that Jasmine and I could bond over the safe arrival of Audrey rather than her joining me in the club no one wants to be in. I think it can feel a bit scary for a mom whose baby has been saved to approach a loss mom, because they don’t want them to feel sad that it wasn’t their baby who was saved. And that is certainly a possibility.

Though we may never know if counting kicks could have saved Sadie, I do know that I was lacking vital information and that Count the Kicks has made its mission to educate and empower women all over the world about the power of kick counting,” Lindsay said. 

Thanks to Lindsay’s willingness to share her story with others, Jasmine knew how important it was to speak up and advocate for her baby. We are so thrilled that Audrey is here today – a beautiful and healthy baby with a truly thankful mom and dad. 

We’re also grateful to our amazing group of Ambassadors, including Lindsay, who are willing to share their personal experiences to help educate and empower expectant parents around the world! Lindsay and Jasmine’s story shows the powerful impact of sharing Count the Kicks with everyone you know. 

The post Idaho Ambassador’s story helps Australia mom save her baby appeared first on Count the Kicks.

Today is National Rainbow Baby Day! Have you heard the term? A rainbow baby is baby who is born into a family that has experienced a previous miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss. The day offers a chance for families to celebrate the joy of a new baby, while reflecting and sharing about the baby they lost. 

Though the Count the Kicks campaign is focused on prevention, our nonprofit organization was formed out of loss in the early 2000s after our five founders all lost daughters to stillbirth or infant death. Our founders channeled their grief into stillbirth prevention efforts in the hope of preventing other families from experiencing the pain of losing a baby. The Count the Kicks campaign started in Iowa, but the goal has always been to save babies around the country. That’s where our Count the Kicks Ambassadors come in. 

This incredible group of 34 women is essential to our efforts to educate and empower expectant parents, and our Ambassador team now serves 30 states, plus Washington, D.C., Canada and India. Some of our Ambassadors join us after saving their baby through kick counting. Others find Count the Kicks only after experiencing a loss, and join the team as a way to honor the baby they lost and prevent other families from experiencing the same pain. Whatever their reason, these women are powerful advocates for kick counting, and the voice of Count the Kicks in their states. 

This year we have been lucky to follow along as several of our Ambassadors prepared to welcome their Rainbow Babies, and celebrate with them as their babies arrived safely. The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges for these women who were also navigating pregnancy after loss. 

We asked Colorado Ambassador Candy Huffman, Ohio Ambassador DaShonda Watkins and South Carolina Ambassador Emily McConnell to share about pregnancy after loss, pregnancy during a pandemic and what having a rainbow baby means to them. 

Congrats on the arrival of your Rainbow Baby! Can you tell us more about your family and your new baby? 

Candy: Callie Grace was born in Aspen, Colorado, on April 20, 2020, at 4:39 p.m. She was 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and 19 inches, and was 2 weeks early because of my history with stillbirth and due to COVID. Matt and I have been together since high school (we went to Ames High in Iowa). We live in Carbondale, Colo. and both work in construction.

DaShonda: My husband is Jeremy Watkins, we’ve been married for three years. Our family consists of Jeremy, myself, our angel baby Aubrey, rainbow baby Weston and fur baby Juliette. Weston was born on April 29, 2020 at 33 weeks weighing 4 pounds, 9 ounces, and 17.75 inches long. At birth, Weston resembled his big sister, Aubrey.

Emily: My husband, Dustin, and I have been married for four years. Our first daughter, Margaret, was born still on May 10, 2019 at 37 weeks gestation. On July 1, 2020, our second daughter, Elyse, was born living. We also have a 5-year-old foster son.

How long have you been a Count the Kicks Ambassador and what does it mean to you?

Candy: I’ve been an ambassador for about three years now and it means a lot to me to spread the word about the app. I’ve talked to healthcare providers who believe in counting kicks as a way to reduce stillbirth and they’re grateful for this tool. I look forward to working on bigger things with Count the Kicks in the future.

DaShonda: I have been a Count the Kicks Ambassador since 2019. Being a Count the Kicks Ambassador means I have the opportunity to help other families have knowledge that I did not have during the pregnancy of my unfortunate baby loss. In addition, I have the opportunity to honor our daughter, Aubrey Elise Watkins.

Emily: I’ve been a Count the Kicks Ambassador for almost a year. It means the world to me that I am able to share Margaret’s story while educating women on the importance of tracking fetal movement with Count the Kicks. I want her brief life to make a difference for others. Being an ambassador has given me a chance to honor Margaret in a beautiful way.

It’s National Rainbow Baby Day! Do you use this term, and if so, what does it mean to you? 

Candy: I actually don’t like the term rainbow baby. I always felt like its a nice thought, that the baby that comes after your miscarriage or stillbirth is a rainbow amidst a storm. However, I felt like my baby Ben was meant to be in my life and although I only got to hold him for 31 hours, I would trade anything to have my son with me. Ben was not a storm to be overcome by a rainbow to me, he was and is my son that I will miss for the rest of my life until I meet him again. It means everything to Matt and I that we finally have Callie. I think having her after a miscarriage and a stillbirth makes everything we do with her sweeter and more appreciated than if we hadn’t had those experiences.

DaShonda: Yes, I use the term rainbow baby! Having a rainbow baby means a promise from God, a miracle, joy after going through a storm.

Emily: Yes, I do use this term. I don’t like when the term is used as “a rainbow after the storm” because I do not think of Margaret as a storm. I like to think of rainbow babies as something beautiful and full of hope that is happening simultaneously while parents are still weathering the storm that comes from losing their precious baby. 

Having a rainbow baby has given me hope, light, and joy in the midst of all the storm clouds that still hover over me. Having Elyse here with us and healthy is a dream come true. The term allows me to smile and think about Margaret with joy as well because she is a big sister.

What was your experience being pregnant after losing a baby to stillbirth?

Candy: It was definitely surreal to be pregnant. I was hopeful the whole time that it would work out but was still hesitant to tell a lot of people just in case. Then I got to 29 weeks, which is when I lost Ben the last time and it was incredibly stressful – it finally hit me that each week after 29 was a week longer than Ben lived. I think all the stress of being pregnant and hitting that milestone finally hit me. I got a terrible migraine and really struggled for a few days. I found out I was pregnant 2 weeks before grad school started so I was thankfully distracted with school while pregnant, which actually helped my stress level!

DaShonda: I intentionally waited a year after losing Aubrey, so I was mentally strong and ready when I got pregnant with Weston. When it happened it was perfect timing, and I knew it was meant to be. It came with some anxiety and “what-ifs,” but I was really embracing it. I had a maternal fetal medicine specialist this time, so the care was more hands-on and specialized for me and Weston, which gave me some reassurance. I also had more family around so I felt like I had more support. I had to continue to remind myself that this is a different pregnancy and it will have a different outcome. 

Towards the third trimester, I began to have pregnancy complications. I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa and began to hemorrhage which caused delivery at 33 weeks gestation versus 36 weeks gestation as we had planned via C-section. I’m truly grateful for my medical care team that Weston and I had a positive experience and outcome.

Emily: Being pregnant after losing Margaret to stillbirth was difficult. The pregnancy was filled with anxiety and stress, even though I still enjoyed bonding with my baby. I was constantly worried that Elyse was going to die too. I was a better advocate for myself with my medical care, and always asked many questions.

You were also expecting a baby during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did that impact your pregnancy experience? 

Candy: Since I’d already been through the experience of giving birth to a stillborn child, I really wasn’t as worried as most moms during the pandemic. Obviously my husband and I took every precaution to make sure neither of us got sick, but it was still not at the top of our worry list because we’ve been through a stillbirth and we really didn’t feel like anything could be worse than that outcome.

DaShonda: COVID-19 impacted the second half of my pregnancy beginning in March. Due to the spread of the virus, I stayed home with the exception of doctor’s appointments. Then I had to stay in the hospital due to complications of my placenta. Family and friends were able to visit when I first got hospitalized, but as the virus continued to spread, hospitals began to not allow visitors, so I spent weeks in the hospital with no visitors. Once we delivered and I was discharged, going back to the hospital and the NICU, we had to take all these precautions like wearing a mask. So Weston didn’t get to see our faces until we came home and took off our masks.

Emily: Expecting Elyse during the pandemic impacted my pregnancy experience because my husband was no longer allowed to come to appointments with me. I found out Margaret didn’t have a heartbeat at a doctor’s appointment alone, so I did not want to attend any doctor appointments alone. But I had to. The pandemic definitely added to my stress and anxiety, and I did not go anywhere besides the doctor’s office.

How did you use Count the Kicks during your pregnancy?

Candy: I used the Count the Kicks app during this pregnancy and it did give me peace of mind that Callie was OK. She wasn’t a consistent kicker like Ben was, so it was a challenge to find a similar time of the day she would kick. I did not experience a change in fetal movement this pregnancy, but I also went to the doctor’s office to have a non-stress test and ultrasound weekly after 30 weeks, just to be safe. My doctor told me to come in anytime I felt any kind of discomfort or stress about the baby so I could have peace of mind; just knowing I had their support was huge.

DaShonda: Having the awareness of Count the Kicks and just knowing that stillbirth existed was important. I began using the Count the Kicks app during the third trimester of pregnancy. It took a while to get to know what was normal, but it was reassuring to tap on the foot each time. I would do it after meals in the morning and in the evening. Doing it twice a day was helpful for me, and I felt like I was doing my part in ensuring that he was still active. 

In fact, on Feb. 29, when I began to bleed, after eating something I started to count my kicks to reassure myself Weston was active. Then I proceeded to call my provider and they had me come to the hospital to be seen. At that point, I was admitted and my hospitalizations were on and off until delivery. Even in the hospital I would use the app, although I had two non-stress tests daily and weekly biophysical profiles.

Emily: I used Count the Kicks during my pregnancy by using the app for my iPhone. I counted kicks every night starting at 28 weeks. Counting kicks did help give me peace of mind because my husband and I would count together and feel Elyse kicking and moving around. Normally, it took her between 4-6 minutes to get her 10 kicks. There were a couple times when I experienced a change in her movement because it took her closer to 20 minutes to get in her 10 kicks. My husband and I went to the hospital when this happened and were sent to labor and delivery for a non-stress test and biophysical profile. Every time we went Elyse was perfectly healthy.

What is your favorite feature of the Count the Kicks app?

Candy: I like that it tracks the history of your kicks so you can look back and see how your baby’s activity has (or hasn’t, in my case) changed. I no longer worried about if she was kicking the same day-to-day because the app “remembered” for me.

DaShonda: I felt very empowered, informed, educated and bonded to Weston each time I used the app. I found that doing it twice a day was helpful, after breakfast and later towards the evening/night. The reminders were helpful for when I missed a day or time as well. I do credit having the knowledge of counting the kicks to be very purposeful in how I handled my initial bleeding as a result of another type of complication, placenta previa. As a high-risk mom, Count the Kicks has truly been a blessing in our lives and part of the reason Weston has a Healthy Birth Day!

Emily: My favorite feature of the app was the graph that showed all the previous data from previous kick sessions. It was helpful to be able to compare each kick session.

What do you want expectant parents to know about stillbirth, pregnancy after loss, and the Count the Kicks campaign? 

Candy: I want other moms to know that going through the experience of stillbirth should not be happening in the U.S. in 2020, but it does and that this simple Count the Kicks app can prevent it! That’s it! It’s an app and 10 minutes or so out of your day. I know it’s not fun to think about stillbirth, but pregnancy is scary and a lot of bad things can happen — why not let the Count the Kicks app manage one of those big concerns for you?

DaShonda: I want other mothers to have awareness of stillbirth. If you don’t know about something, you aren’t attune with it. Every pregnancy is different. I want other moms to know they can have a healthy birth day after going through an unfortunate loss. I want other moms to feel empowered knowing they have a tool with the Count the Kicks campaign and they are their baby’s best advocate. Lastly, if they notice any changes to follow their motherly instincts. 

Emily: Margaret’s death has been the most devastating experience of my life, and her death is unexplained. She falls into the category where 60 percent of stillbirths are unexplained.I was never educated on the importance of keeping track of fetal movement during the third trimester, but I strongly believe that if I had been, Margaret would be here with us today. Counting kicks allows you to have knowledge of your baby’s movements and is a fantastic way to bond with him/her.

What do you hope to accomplish in your role as a Count the Kicks Ambassador in your state?

Candy: I would like to start a stillbirth registry in the state of Colorado so we can track the data. What we ultimately need in the U.S. is a nation-wide registry; starting one in my state is just one step to getting there.

DaShonda: As a Count the Kicks Ambassador, I hope to provide awareness throughout the state of Ohio as about the Count the Kicks campaign. I welcome collaboration with partners in the state of Ohio. I desire to see data that supports the decrease in stillbirth rates occurring in Ohio, resulting in more babies saved!

Emily: We are currently working towards state funding for Count the Kicks in South Carolina. This means that medical professionals would be able to order Count the Kicks materials for free in order to share them with their patients in an effort to decrease the stillbirth rate here in South Carolina. We currently have materials available for free to medical professionals in the Charleston area due to the funds raised from our “Walk of Remembrance: Miles for Margaret, Lydia, and All Babies Gone Too Soon” held in October of 2019. 

The post National Rainbow Baby Day: Meet our Ambassadors’ newest arrivals appeared first on Count the Kicks.

It was my first pregnancy and we were all super excited. My parents, his parents, my grandmother, all of our friends and, of course, my husband and me. We had waited to have children to make sure our marriage was strong and we were ready for our little girl – Sydney. I had a perfect pregnancy – everything looked great.

At 38 weeks I was still working full time in advertising and public relations, and everything looked great. Then September 11th happened. We were all in shock. One of my clients was the National Championship Air Races. No Air Races. No planes at all.

On September 13, I had my scheduled doctor’s appointment. It was too late. He sent us straight to the hospital. It was the worst day of my life. I didn’t know anyone who had lost a baby. Everyone came home from the hospital with a baby. We didn’t. I didn’t know how to react. I was in shock.

I was surprised to hear the statistics regarding stillbirth. A baby is born still in the United States every 22 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I found an online community of women who were like me and that helped. I was lucky – we got pregnant again and I have my rainbow baby. She is 14 but still my baby. I have two girls and they are the light of my life.

I heard about Count the Kicks from best-selling author Glennon Doyle Melton. She spoke at their annual Every Woman Counts fundraiser luncheon and the founders’ stories spoke to me: five women in Iowa who lost little girls in the early 2000s to stillbirth. I felt like these were my people. I wanted to help.

These women got to work to try to help reduce the number of stillbirths. They found studies that showed if expectant moms track their baby’s movements starting at 28 weeks, they will significantly reduce their chance of stillbirth.

Count the Kicks has a free app in the iTunes and Google Play online stores or you can use an old school chart and pen. The system works by having expectant mamas begin monitoring their baby’s movement in the third trimester. Expectant moms should pick the same time of day, every day, to count baby’s movement. Mamas should sit with their feet up or lie on their side. Then, they should count each of their baby’s movements as one kick, count until reaching 10 movements, and record how long it took to get to 10.

Pretty soon moms will start to notice a pretty consistent pattern in how long it takes their baby to get to 10. If the amount of time it takes to get to ten changes significantly, moms should call their provider right away. Kick counting histories are useful for visits with providers.

The women created Count the Kicks in Iowa in 2009 and spread the message to a grassroots network of supportive hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices in Iowa. Since then, they’ve watched the state’s stillbirth rate drop by 26 percent. Iowa has gone from 33rd in the country in stillbirth rate to 3rd lowest.

Today Count the Kicks has gone global — the five Iowa moms are literally trying to save babies around the world. This year moms as far away as the South Pacific and the Middle East are downloading the free Count the Kicks app.

Count the Kicks is growing every day to save more babies. There are passionate ambassadors advocating kick counting in 18 states. I’m happy to be the Ambassador for Nevada — a small part of the team that’s spreading the baby-saving message as far and wide as we can send it.

Julia Tayler
Count the Kicks Nevada Ambassador

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