Stillbirth Prevention - Count the Kicks (P.S.D.B.)

Course Title: Stillbirth Prevention 

Trainer: Megan Aucutt – Count the Kicks  

Timing: 2hours; Offered One Time Per Semester

Description: Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a maternal health crisis happening in Iowa - and across the US; the pandemic is exacerbating what was already broken — birthing centers closing, less access to quality prenatal care in rural areas and Black moms losing their babies at twice the rate of white moms. Count the Kicks is an evidence-based public health campaign that teaches the method for and importance of tracking fetal movement in the third trimester of pregnancy. Count the Kicks helped lower Iowa’s stillbirth rate by nearly 32 percent in the first decade of its existence in our state. In the first five years of the campaign the stillbirth rate among African American women dropped nearly 39% (2008-2013). Unfortunately, Black women are still two times more likely to experience a stillbirth over white women and three times more likely to experience adverse maternal health outcomes such as death. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are incidents that can create a toxic level of stress for a child. If we want to reduce ACEs and improve maternal health outcomes, we need to start prenatally. By taking our evidence-based stillbirth prevention program and partnering with Iowa’s MIECHV program we were able to create a system to connect expectant women to local resources they need; whether that is parenting resources, food banks, mental health and more. The purpose of this activity is to train home visitors and other healthcare professionals how to talk to their patients about fetal monitoring and using best practices to track fetal monitoring. By using an evidence based and non-invasive tool those that work directly with expectant parents have the ability to help prevent stillbirths.

Competencies Addressed: Infant and Early Childhood Development & Relationship-Based Family Partnerships