The Arkansas Department of Health and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) are partnering with Count the Kicks, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention campaign, to educate expectant parents in Arkansas about the importance of tracking a baby’s movements daily in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Stillbirth is a national public health crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. For Arkansas families, one in every 138 pregnancies end in stillbirth, and families in the state are 10 times more likely to lose a baby to stillbirth than to SIDS. Recent data shows the devastating impact of COVID-19 on placentas and babies. Doctors have discovered what they are calling SARS-CoV-2 placentitis, a condition in which the virus attacks the placenta and cuts off oxygen to the baby.
In the U.S. the annual number of stillbirths (defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater during pregnancy) far exceeds the number of deaths among children aged 0-14 years from preterm birth, SIDS, accidents, drownings, guns, fire, and flu combined. Research shows that nearly 30% of stillbirths can be prevented when expectant parents are educated on the importance of tracking their baby’s movements daily starting at 28 weeks.
Research shows a change in a baby’s movements in the third trimester is an early red flag. By using Count the Kicks, expectant parents can increase the chances of their baby arriving safely. Count the Kicks has a free app available in the iOS and Google Play app stores that provides expectant parents a simple, noninvasive way to monitor their babies’ well-being every day. After a few days using the app, expectant parents begin to see a pattern, a normal amount of time it takes their baby to get to 10 movements. If their baby’s “normal" changes during the third trimester, this could be a sign of potential problems and is an indication that the expectant parent should call her healthcare provider.
Thanks to the partnership with ADH and UAMS, maternal health providers, birthing hospitals, home visitors, social service agencies, childbirth educators and other providers in Arkansas can order FREE Count the Kicks educational materials (available at www.CountTheKicks.org) to help them have the kick counting conversation with expectant parents. These materials include posters, brochures, and app download cards in English and Spanish.
To learn more about this partnership, join a free webinar at 12 p.m. CST on Feb. 2. To register for this free event, visit bit.ly/ArkansasCTK. Continuing Education will be available.