Count the Kicks Launches in Wyoming

State Expansion

• Kimberly Isburg
• 11.13.23

We are excited to announce our partnership with The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) to launch Count the Kicks. Through the partnership we will work together to educate Wyoming families about the importance of paying attention to their baby’s movements in the third trimester of pregnancy.

For Wyoming families, 1 in every 162 pregnancies ends in stillbirth. Racial disparities persist, and a disproportionate number of babies are born still to Black, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native families.

Free Materials for Providers

Thanks to the partnership with Wyoming Department of Health, maternal health providers, birthing hospitals, social service agencies, childbirth educators and other providers in Wyoming can order FREE Count the Kicks educational materials to help them have a conversation about baby’s movement patterns with expectant parents.

These materials include posters, brochures, and app download cards in English and Spanish. People and organizations who serve expectant parents in Wyoming also have the ability to order At-a-Glance materials and Count the Kicks wristbands.

Resources for Wyoming Families

Research shows that nearly 30% of stillbirths can be prevented when expectant parents are educated on how to monitor their baby’s movements once a day starting at 28 weeks. Our free app, which is available in 16 languages in the the iOS and Google Play app stores, will provide a simple, non-invasive way for expectant parents in Wyoming to get to know their baby’s normal movement patterns.

“We know a change in a baby’s movements in the third trimester can sometimes be an early red flag,” said Kelly Belz, Women and Infant Health Program manager with WDH. “We’re encouraging Wyoming families with a baby on the way to consider downloading this helpful app,” she said.

Belz noted parents who don’t have smartphones or strong internet connections can use downloadable kick counting charts or may request a kick-counting bracelet from their local public health office.

“After a few days of using Count the Kicks resources, expectant parents can begin to see patterns such as the normal amount of time it takes their baby to get to 10 movements,” Belz said. “If their baby’s ‘normal’
changes during the third trimester, this could be a sign of potential problems. We would recommend reaching out to their pregnancy healthcare provider.”

Wyoming Baby Save

Cheyenne mom Carly-Ann Carruthers knows first-hand the importance of paying attention to her baby’s movements. She was using the Count the Kicks app every day in the third trimester of her pregnancy with her daughter Lena, and says the app helped her feel confident in between appointments.  

“When we were one day shy of 36 weeks, I went in with data (not just a feeling) showing changes in movement similar to what I remembered with Ryan [her daughter born still in 2020]. That, coupled with another barely passing non-stress test and biophysical profile, led us to deliver that day. Little Lena needed some help to get going, but we are beyond grateful to have her with us today. Count the Kicks and a responsive and attentive medical team have more than earned our trust and praise,” Carly-Ann said. 

Impact of Stillbirth

According to the CDC, approximately 40 Wyoming babies are stillborn each year. New research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology shows a more than 30% reduction in Iowa’s stillbirth rate in the first 10 years of the Count the Kicks stillbirth prevention program at a time when America’s stillbirth rate remained stagnant.

The results have led researchers to call for urgent action to address the stillbirth crisis in the U.S. and to study Count the Kicks on a national level. Through this collaboration, WDH is hoping to bring the same success to Wyoming, which would save at least 12 babies in the state each year.