Meet Zelda

• Baby Saves

• 05.11.23

“My husband and I were thrilled to be expecting our baby girl. It was during my pregnancy that I saw a social media ad to download the free Count the Kicks app, so thankfully I did. I used the app to track our daughter’s movements and quickly learned her normal movement pattern. Zelda was a very active baby and remains an active little one to this day!

 At 36 weeks pregnant, during a very hot summer day, I decided to take a swim in the pool. I had noticed in the past that Zelda would relax during my dips in the pool, which is why at first, I was not worried about her decrease in movement. However, as the day went on, I became more concerned about her lack of movement, which was truly not ‘normal’ for our baby girl. Thankfully my husband encouraged me to go into the ER to have things checked out despite the inconvenience, concerns surrounding COVID-19 and potential financial cost.

When we arrived at the hospital they immediately put Zelda on the monitor and discovered that her heart was racing at a dangerously high rate. By the time they began an ultrasound, it was determined that she had stopped breathing. This obviously led to a very urgent C-section delivery. During this terrifying situation, I held on to hope; I just felt like she was still with me. When she was born, she was blue but able to let out a good cry and thankfully quickly recovered and was perfectly healthy.

The doctors found Zelda had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and body and had a true knot in her umbilical cord. The nurses commented that they had never seen anything quite like this and the next day my doctor told me the outcome would have been different had I waited until the next day or even for another hour. 

We are deeply grateful for the awareness that using the Count the Kicks app gave me regarding Zelda’s movement. That knowledge is the reason that I was so in tune with my baby and empowered me to share my concerns. Of course, we are grateful that Zelda was saved. In fact, as a musician, it inspired me to write a song about the experience. I hope my story can grow awareness for others so more babies can arrive safely.” -Ashleigh S., Zelda’s mom