Meet Soraya

• Baby Saves

• 03.09.26

“When I first became pregnant my provider told me the importance of kick counting. One day while visiting Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, I saw a Count the Kicks billboard and downloaded it immediately. At that time she was not kicking much, but I knew she would soon.

As my pregnancy progressed, I started learning Soraya’s movement patterns. On Friday, Nov. 15 my family and I were at home enjoying a simple movie night together. Everything felt normal and peaceful. But when the movie ended I realized something that made my heart drop. I hadn’t felt baby Soraya move much during the entire movie. That immediately felt unusual to me because Soraya was normally very active. 

By that point in my pregnancy, I knew her patterns well, and the quietness felt wrong. I told my husband and without hesitation he rushed me to the hospital while we contacted my provider.

At the hospital they began monitoring Soraya and me closely. There were small moments of improvement, but not enough for the doctors to feel comfortable sending me home. Only being 35 weeks pregnant, they gave me steroid injections to help strengthen her lungs in case she needed to be delivered early. Those next couple of days were emotional and filled with uncertainty, but I felt grateful that I had listened to my instincts and spoken up when something didn’t feel right.

On Nov. 17, 2025 at 3:34 p.m., my baby girl Soraya was born weighing 5 pounds 13 ounces. When she arrived, we learned that the umbilical cord had been wrapped around her tiny neck twice. 

In that moment I felt overwhelming gratitude that I trusted my instincts and sought care when I noticed the change in her movements. Today, my precious baby girl is thriving. Even though she was born a little early, she is flourishing and hitting all of her milestones. 

I truly believe that paying attention to her movements and speaking up helped make all the difference in her safe arrival. If I had not known to pay attention I probably would have thought she was just chilling that day. 

Even though the movement can be a lot to handle, knowing how important it is made me appreciate the kicks so much more. At first it feels like I am never going to sleep, but then when you realize that kicks are life-saving then it makes you think ‘keep on kicking.’ My hope is that other moms trust themselves the same way because those instincts can help save a life.

My advice to others would be to listen to your body and listen to your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, go get checked. Trusting those instincts could help save your baby’s life.” -Chante S., Soraya’s Mom