As the Magnolia State continues to lead the nation in stillbirth rates, the Mississippi State Department of Health is aiming to save 124 babies’ lives yearly through a partnership with a nonprofit program and its Count The Kicks app.
Stillbirths are also called fetal deaths, meaning the death of a fetus between 20 weeks of pregnancy and birth. Mississippi had 355 stillbirths in 2021 at a rate of 10 per 1,000 births, while the national rate is 5.76, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s July 26, 2023, report shows.
Count the Kicks is an stillbirth prevention app that helps expecting parents track their babies’ movements during the third trimester of pregnancy by timing how long it takes the baby to make 10 movements. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says parents should start at 26 weeks for high-risk pregnancies or at 28 weeks for typical pregnancies.
“The first sign that something is changing in that pregnancy is when a baby’s movements change,” Emily Price, CEO of Count the Kicks, told the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 5.
If a baby starts moving irregularly, the pregnant person should visit their OB-GYN immediately to ensure their baby is still healthy, Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said.
“(The) majority of the time, if you don’t feel the baby kicking, that doesn’t mean you’ve lost the baby. But you should go get checked,” he told the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 6.
Along with the app, Count the Kicks also designs physical and online educational materials.
Price said the nonprofit tracks how many health-care providers are ordering educational materials and engaging with the program and notes how many people visit its website and download the app. Count the Kicks then shares the data with MSDH.
“We can see the proof that Count the Kicks is working in Mississippi,” Price said.
MSDH will reevaluate the program’s partnership yearly, but Price said she hopes it lasts indefinitely.
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