WALLINGFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In recognition of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in October and as part of its continued commitment to improve maternal health outcomes, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is partnering with Count the Kicks, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention program, to educate expectant parents in Connecticut about the importance of tracking fetal movement in the third trimester of pregnancy.
In Connecticut, 161 pregnancies end in stillbirth on average. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published new research that shows a more than 30 percent reduction in Iowa’s stillbirth rate in the first 10 years of the Count the Kicks stillbirth prevention program at a time when America’s stillbirth rate remained stagnant. The results have led researchers to call for urgent action to address the stillbirth crisis in the U.S. and to study Count the Kicks on a national level.
Research shows that nearly 30 percent of stillbirths can be prevented when expectant parents are informed on the importance of tracking their baby’s movements daily starting at 28 weeks. Count the Kicks has a free app that provides expectant parents a simple, non-invasive way to monitor their babies’ well-being every day. App users can see their kick-counting history, rate the strength of their baby’s movements, set daily reminders, and have the ability to count for single babies and twins. Paper kick-counting charts are also available on the Count the Kicks website.
After a few days tracking movement, expectant parents will 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 mom should call their healthcare provider right away.
Megan Morello of Greenwich, Ambassador for the Count the Kicks program in Connecticut, credited her awareness about kick-counting for getting the care she needed while pregnant with her son Beau, now seven weeks old. Morello became an advocate for the simple tracking program after having a stillborn child three years ago.
“My son Brayden could be alive if I was educated on the importance of fetal movement in my first pregnancy,” said Morello. “It is so important for every mother to learn about counting kicks and how that could potentially save your baby’s life. No mother should ever have to hear the words ‘I’m sorry, but we can’t find the heartbeat.’”
Thanks to the partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, maternal health providers, birthing hospitals, social service agencies, childbirth educators and other providers in Connecticut 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.
“We are honored to partner with Count the Kicks to provide real-time resources and solutions for expectant moms and families in the state through educational and innovative programming,” said Lou Gianquinto, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut. “This campaign will aid at-risk pregnant women and help empower them to take control of their health and discuss these vital details with their healthcare provider. Anthem remains committed to improving maternal and infant health outcomes for mothers like Megan and others across Connecticut.”
Through the partnership, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and Count the Kicks will also work to address social determinants of health through a four-question survey for all expectant parents utilizing the free app. The questions focus on barriers to accessing resources and connects app users who are in need of additional assistance and support to free or reduced cost resources in their local community. These resources include things like diaper banks, food banks, housing assistance, and more.
CDC data shows that in the U.S. 861 women died from childbirth complications in 2020, and 1 in 175 pregnancies in the U.S. ends in stillbirth. The risk is even greater for Black, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Alaska Native expectant parents and their pregnancies. For Black women in the U.S., 1 in every 97 pregnancies ends in stillbirth.
In Iowa, where Count the Kicks began, the state’s stillbirth rate dropped by nearly 32 percent in the first 10 years of the campaign (2008-2018). Iowa’s rate went from 33rd worst in the country to one of the lowest, while the country’s rate remained relatively flat. Through this collaboration, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is hoping to bring the same success to Connecticut, which would save approximately 51 babies in the state each year.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation
The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a philanthropic arm of the Elevance Health Foundation. The Foundation works to address health equity by focusing on improving the health of the socially vulnerable through strategic partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal child health; mental health; and food as medicine. Additionally, the Foundation also responds to disasters when our communities need us the most. The Foundation coordinates the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. To learn more about the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and the Elevance Health Foundation, please visit www.elevancehealth.foundation and its blog at www.medium.com/elevancehealthfoundation.
About Count the Kicks
The Count the Kicks public health campaign is a project of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of stillbirth. Count the Kicks has a growing network of supportive doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics in 25 states that give Count the Kicks materials to their patients. Count the Kicks has been featured on Good Morning America, The Washington Post, Sunday Night Football, and in O Magazine, and produced a national PSA that has generated more than 300 million viewer impressions. Count the Kicks has more than 115 stories from families around the country who have written in to share how they used Count the Kicks to help their baby have a healthy birth day. The free Count the Kicks app is available in 16 languages and has been downloaded more than 240,000 times in all 50 states and more than 140 countries. Learn more about our vision to save 7,500 babies every year and improve birth outcomes everywhere at CountTheKicks.org.
______________________________
1 Number based on 5-year average stillbirth rate, multiplied by the 32% reduction seen in Iowa. Stillbirth data is from CDC Wonder. Note stillbirth rate is calculated by: Fetal Deaths/Total of Live Births + Fetal Deaths*1,000.
