Healthy Birth Day, Inc.

Our Founders

Healthy Birth Day, Inc. was founded by five Iowa moms who all endured the heartache of losing a daughter to stillbirth or infant death in the early 2000s. The women decided to channel their grief into stillbirth prevention efforts to keep other families from facing the pain of losing a baby. Together they created and launched the Count the Kicks public health program in 2008.

Healthy Birth Day, Inc.

Organizational Values

Be Courageous.

Healthy Birth Day, Inc., was founded on the belief that stillbirths and poor birth outcomes can be preventable. By providing stillbirth prevention education and resources, we improve care and empower expectant parents to advocate for themselves and their baby. We will bravely push for systemic change, speak truth to power, and not shy away from difficult conversations, meetings and decisions.

Share the Cause.

Healthy Birth Day, Inc., believes knowledge is power.  When we make the world a safer place for reproductive and maternal health care, everyone wins. The job is urgent and bigger than any one person or organization.  Sharing the work, lifting up voices, and being inclusive matters.  We will actively recruit and connect with allies to teach and learn prevention strategies and break down systemic maternal and reproductive health care barriers and biases.

Celebrate Progress.

The five grieving moms who founded Healthy Birth Day, Inc., wanted to make this world a safer place to have a baby, and as we continue to grow as the country’s leading stillbirth prevention organization, we maintain a deep commitment to their original principles: placing high value on research and data, asking for help and building authentic relationships, and leading with trustworthy actions. We will take time to celebrate successes, both big and small, knowing each one may inspire or motivate another person to connect to our cause, turning their grief into fuel, shame into hope, or energy into action.