Count the Kicks Launches in Wisconsin

State Expansion

• Kimberly Isburg
• 01.03.23

We are excited to announce our partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to bring the Count the Kicks program to the state of Wisconsin. Through the partnership we will work together to educate expectant parents in Wisconsin about the importance of tracking their baby’s movements daily in the third trimester of pregnancy.

For Wisconsin families, 1 in every 187 pregnancies end in stillbirth, and families in the state are 6.5 times more likely to lose a baby to stillbirth than to SIDS. Research shows that nearly 30% of stillbirths can be prevented when expectant parents are educated on the importance of tracking their baby’s movements daily starting at 28 weeks.

Thanks to the partnership with DHS, maternal health providers, birthing hospitals, social service agencies, childbirth educators and other providers in Wisconsin can order FREE Count the Kicks educational materials to help them have the kick counting conversation with expectant parents. These materials include posters, brochures, and app download cards in English and Spanish. 

According to the CDC, approximately 325 Wisconsin babies are stillborn each year. 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 stillbirth rate remained relatively flat. Through this collaboration, DHS is hoping to bring the same success to Wisconsin, which would save approximately 104 babies in the state each year. 

Hundreds of expectant parents have downloaded the FREE Count the Kicks app in Wisconsin already.