Saint Peter’s University Hospital is partnering with Count the Kicks, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention program that educates expectant parents about the importance of paying attention to their baby’s movements in the third trimester of pregnancy.
As a Count the Kicks Champion, Saint Peter’s will use the program’s proven tools and resources to equip expectant parents, health care providers, certified nurse-midwives, doulas and community members with education on the vital practice of tracking fetal movement during the third trimester of pregnancy.
The goal of the collaboration is to prevent stillbirths and improve birth outcomes for New Jersey families.
The statistics around stillbirths in New Jersey show the need:
New Jersey loses 633 babies a year on average to stillbirth.
The stillbirth rate in the state is 6.26 per 1,000 live births.
It is estimated that Count the Kicks can save an average of 202 babies per year in New Jersey.
Stillbirth is commonly defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater gestation during pregnancy. It is a national public health crisis that impacts more than 20,000 families in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC lists a change in a baby’s movements as one of its 15 urgent maternal warning signs. Research shows nearly 30 percent of stillbirths can be prevented when expectant parents are educated on how to monitor their baby’s movements daily starting at 28 weeks. A change in a baby’s normal movement pattern is sometimes the first or only indication there may be an issue developing during the pregnancy.
Saint Peter’s has long been recognized as a leader in maternity care.
Pam Harmon, the director of the women and children’s division at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, said the program matches the mission of the hospital.
“As a leader in maternal health services, Saint Peter’s has often instituted protocols that have become the model of care for other hospitals in New Jersey and across the nation,” she said. “Our partnership with Count the Kicks is further evidence of our longstanding commitment to expectant parents when it comes to doing everything possible to improve maternal outcomes and welcome healthy babies into the arms of their loving parents.”
The Count the Kicks program has a free mobile app (available in 20+ languages), web-based counting platform and printable paper charts that make it easy for expectant parents to become familiar with their baby’s normal movement patterns.
After a few days of counting, 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 expectant parent should call their health care provider right away.
The program is another reason why Saint Peter’s is nationally renowned for safety.
To learn more about Saint Peter’s maternity services, click here.
