(MADISON) – October 8, 2024 – October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is partnering with Count the Kicks to accelerate progress on stillbirth prevention in Wisconsin. Congress recently passed the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2024, marking the first time in history that Congress has acted to specifically address the stillbirth crisis in the U.S. The Stillbirth Prevention Act, which was signed by President Joe Biden in July, amends Title V to include stillbirth and stillbirth prevention.
In the U.S. stillbirth is defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater during pregnancy. It is a public health crisis that impacts more than 21,000 families in the U.S. every year. The Stillbirth Prevention Act provides both clarity and a vital call to action to state health departments across the nation that they can and should use a portion of the existing $2.6 billion of Title V Block Grant funding to prevent stillbirth.
The CDC lists a change in a baby’s movements as one of its 15 urgent maternal warning signs. Count the Kicks helps prevent stillbirths by teaching expectant parents a simple method for monitoring their baby’s movements in the third trimester of pregnancy. The free Count the Kicks app makes it easy for expectant parents to get to know their baby’s normal movement patterns and empowers them to speak up to their provider if their baby’s movements change. Research shows a change in a baby’s movement patterns in the third trimester is often an early red flag in pregnancy that something might be going wrong.
Wisconsin loses 323 babies a year on average to stillbirth. During Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is working to raise awareness about the free Count the Kicks app and the importance of getting to know your baby’s normal movement patterns in the third trimester of pregnancy.
“Anthem is committed to improving maternal health and birth outcomes for families in Wisconsin” said Ted Osthelder, President, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid Health Plan in Wisconsin. “As we recognize Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in October, we are proud to continue partnering with Count the Kicks to bring awareness and proven tools to expectant parents and families across the state.”
Racial disparities persist, and a disproportionate number of babies are born still to Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native families. According to the CDC, Black women are two times more likely to experience the tragedy of stillbirth than White women. For Black women in the U.S., 1 in every 101 pregnancies ends in stillbirth. Black women are also three times more likely to die of pregnancy complications.
“Count the Kicks gives expectant parents and providers the tools and resources they need to have an ongoing conversation about fetal movement in the third trimester,” said Emily Price, CEO for Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the nonprofit organization that created the Count the Kicks program. “Count the Kicks is proven to improve birth outcomes for moms and babies, and we are grateful to be partnering with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation to make this life-saving education available to Wisconsin families.”
This October, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation invites all Wisconsinites to help accelerate progress on stillbirth prevention in our state by sharing the freeCount the Kicks app with every expectant parent you know.
