Meet Aspen

• Baby Saves

• 08.29.22

“As a first-time expectant mom, I was happy to learn about the free Count the Kicks App from the Count the Kicks educational materials shared at my doctor’s office.  My OB was insistent that I count kicks every day in the third trimester to help me track my daughter’s health.  I created my kick counting routine based on when I noticed that my daughter was most active. The app was so easy to use and did help me learn my baby’s kicking habits.

At 35 weeks, 2 days pregnant, I ended my workday around 5 p.m. and felt my little girl move at that time.  As I went about my evening, my routine was to have dinner and by bedtime find a time to Count the Kicks.  It was very typical for my baby to be active when I laid down at bedtime but on this day, she was not and as I reflected, I realized the last time I felt her was several hours earlier. As the evening went on, my husband and I became more worried and decided to go to the emergency room around midnight to have our baby checked. To be honest, I really did not want to go and spend the night in the ER and have an additional hospital bill, but we knew this could be important to our baby’s safety. 

When I arrived at the hospital, the first thing they did was check for and find my daughter’s heartbeat, which gratefully they found. My OB also ordered an NST [non-stress test], which is the only reason they found out that my fluid level had become very low even though I had experienced no leaking or other symptoms. I was admitted, given a steroid shot for my daughter’s lung development, placed on IV fluids and they closely monitored my baby girl. 

Despite these efforts, my fluid levels remained too low, and it was determined by my doctor that it would be best to induce me.  Unfortunately, my body did not progress during labor and out of concern for the stress on the baby it was determined that a C-section delivery was needed. 

On July 22, our beautiful daughter, Aspen, arrived safely and is thriving.  My husband and I are so grateful that my doctor shared the importance of kick counting, had the Count the Kicks educational materials, and was also willing to take my concerns seriously when I spoke up.” -Shamari C., Aspen’s mom