Meet Mabel

• Baby Saves

• 08.01.22

“My husband and I were excited to be expecting our third child. Because it had been several years since I was last pregnant, I was researching and learning about different tools and resources that were available. This is when I learned about the free Count the Kicks App on Instagram and made the decision to download it to track my baby’s movements during the third trimester. I am so grateful I did because it became a valuable resource during my pregnancy and an important part of our daughter’s safe arrival.

I had been told by my doctor that they would pay closer attention to this pregnancy due to my advanced maternal age, so I was having regular NST and growth scans to monitor the baby and general health of the pregnancy. The only slight concern was that the baby was measuring a bit small, so I was glad to receive the extra testing, but in general not overly concerned as my first baby was less than 6 pounds at birth.

My health was excellent, and the pregnancy and baby seemed to be doing well too until my 37-week appointment. When I arrived at that appointment, I indicated to the nurse that the baby was not moving as much as she normally did, which I was aware of because of the kick counting sessions I was having with the App. The nurse attempted to reassure me by telling me that babies move less at the end of pregnancy because they run out of room. That statement did not seem right to me based on my previous pregnancy experiences and I now know it is a dangerous myth. She proceeded to complete the NST, which the baby passed so she indicated I could cancel the growth scan scheduled for the next day if I would like. Because I was still concerned about my daughter’s change in movement, I not only kept the appointment, but I had it scheduled at an earlier time the next morning. 

I arrived at the growth scan 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Again, I expressed my concern over my baby’s continued slowdown in movement. Shortly after beginning the growth scan, the sonographer became concerned. She discovered that I had lost over half of my amniotic fluid and quickly contacted my doctor. I had no sign that my water was leaking, nor did they find evidence in my urine. I was sent immediately to the ER and the amount of concern only heightened when they broke my water but there was no water left to expel. I was immediately induced, and our sweet Mabel Rose arrived quickly, but healthy on March 4, 2022. 

The only red flag that there was a problem with the pregnancy was my daughter’s change in movement. I am so grateful I had the concrete data from the App, which gave me the knowledge that something was off and the confidence to advocate for my baby. All moms deserve to have this knowledge so their babies can have a healthy birth day too.” -Meghan A., Mabel’s mom