Meet Hanna

• Baby Saves

• 06.24.26

“I first heard about Count the Kicks from my doctor’s office. They had a little pamphlet and emphasized the importance of counting kicks once I got to 28 weeks. This was my third pregnancy and I’ve used Count the Kicks each time. The app taught me that she should be getting her ‘normal’ movements each day. 

With this pregnancy I went in for decreased fetal movement three times. The last time I felt something was off she wasn’t moving as she normally does. I remember she was quieter during the night and in the morning. After breakfast I laid down on the couch to see if she’d move. I had eaten a big breakfast (orange juice and coffee) and she still wasn’t moving. I knew something was off. 

So we went into triage (one hour away). The previous times I’d gone in for decreased movements I was hooked up to a non stress test and baby passed the test and I was on my way home in 20 minutes. This time though, the nurse saw heart arrhythmias. I was hooked up to the non-stress test (NST) for more than two hours and the provider ordered a biophysical profile (BPP) ultrasound. 

My baby didn’t pass the ultrasound. So with the combination of decreased movements (which was very evident on the NST), the heart arrhythmias, and not passing the BPP the OB-GYN suggested we get the baby out. I was induced at 37 weeks and 1 day and had a normal delivery. 

After she came though she was ‘singing’ (she was making extra sounds every time she would breathe), which resulted in the nurses giving her Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). That ended up giving her a pneumothorax. She went to the NICU and they found her lungs to be hazy on an X-ray.  She needed to be intubated for the first five days of her life because her oxygen kept dropping. She ended up staying in the NICU for 10 days for respiratory help and IV antibiotics. They suspected she was born with a lung infection she acquired in utero, which could have explained her decreased fetal movements. 

Had I not been familiar with her normal kick counts I don’t want to think about what might have happened to her. I believe God gave us mother’s intuition and I’m so thankful I listened to mine that day I went in. My baby is three months old now and healthy.  

My advice for expectant parents, I would say to get into a good habit of using the Count the Kicks app every day. For me, I tried to use it after supper every day. Also, if something feels off with the baby’s movements, lean into that and trust your instincts. It’s always better to go get checked out and sent home than it is to not go in and not be able to bring your baby home. The nurses told me that when I went in to be checked. Don’t EVER feel like a burden or like you’re the woman who cried wolf. It’s literally their job. Trust your instincts!   

Very thankful for the Count the Kicks app!” -Sami K., Hanna’s mom