Meet Makenzie

• Baby Saves

• 10.29.26

“I learned about Count the Kicks from being involved with PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, an organization I found after the stillbirth of my daughter Maggie in 2021. While pregnant with my subsequent child I decided to use the Count the Kicks app to help monitor fetal movement, something I didn’t know to do while pregnant with Maggie. 

Around 30 weeks gestation I noticed a difference in my baby’s movements while doing my daily monitoring on the Count the Kicks app. She wasn’t moving as much and when she was moving it felt sharper than normal. I immediately called my doctor’s office. 

While waiting for a call back, my husband and I decided to head to Labor and Delivery so we could get everything checked out. While we were driving I received a callback from one of the doctors at my practice. I explained that during my daily fetal movement monitoring I noticed things were different so I was heading to Labor and Delivery. She told me not to go and that it was super crowded at the moment so I would just be waiting around for hours. She said it was just my anxiety and I didn’t need to go to the hospital. I told her I was going to go anyway. 

When we got to Labor and Delivery and explained what was going on to the woman sitting at the desk they brought me right into the nurses station. I then explained to the nurses what was going on. While I was explaining, the doctor from my practice who I had spoken to on the phone runs over and tells the woman I am speaking to that I have anxiety and I am fine. The woman at the nurses station said ‘why don’t we just hook her up to see what is going on.’ 

They got me hooked up right away and noticed that I was having contractions that were 5 minutes apart. I was then admitted and spent the night at the hospital to be monitored. The contractions continued and the course of action for the rest of my pregnancy was changed. 

I was given medication to try and prevent the contractions from leading to early labor. Then I was put on a modified bed rest, told to refrain from going to work (I am a Pre-K teacher so my job is very physically demanding), and started going in for non-stress tests (NSTs) and biophysical profiles (BPPs) three times a week. 

During that time I was sent to Labor and Delivery on multiple occasions for further monitoring because of my test results and was given steroid shots to develop the baby’s lungs. Because of my fetal movement monitoring using Count the Kicks and my subsequent advocating for myself and my baby, I got the care I needed to continue carrying my baby an extra six weeks and five days. 

Our beautiful baby girl Makenzie was born, just shy of 37 weeks gestation, at 4 pounds 15 ounces. Her lungs were fully developed thanks to the steroid shots and she was ready to go home with us the next day. I didn’t have to leave the hospital empty handed again after giving birth. Instead I got to leave with full arms and a full heart.

My advice would be to always speak up, no matter what. Yes, it might be nothing, but what if it’s something? You are the biggest advocate for you and your baby.” -Wendy L., Makenzie and Maggie’s mom