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Help educate expectant parents about fetal movement monitoring through the Count the Kicks program.

A nurse in blue scrubs smiles while handing a Count the Kicks brochure to a patient in a hospital bed. The atmosphere is warm and caring.

What is Count the Kicks?

Count the Kicks is an evidence-based stillbirth prevention program that teaches expectant parents the method for and importance of monitoring their baby’s movements daily during the third trimester of pregnancy. Our organization’s goal is to help lower the country’s stillbirth rate and save moms and babies across the nation through our proven stillbirth prevention education.

Count the Kicks has developed a full complement of proven tools and resources to help healthcare providers talk about fetal movement monitoring with expectant parents.

Get Started

By discussing Count the Kicks with expectant parents, you can help improve birth outcomes for moms and babies. 

  • Order Materials

    Count the Kicks has educational posters, brochures, app reminder cards, and more available to order in multiple languages.

    Place an Order

  • Continuing Education

    The CFM Patterns Course provides a clear, evidence-based approach to use when patients present to providers with changes in fetal movement patterns.

    Get Started

  • Become a Champion

    Count the Kicks Champions actively support the implementation and reach of the Count the Kicks program in a clinical or community setting.

    Learn More

Count the Kicks Research

Research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology proves the effectiveness of Count the Kicks as a method for stillbirth prevention. “Information about fetal movements and stillbirth trends: analysis of time series data,” was led by Dr. Alexander Heazell, a prominent stillbirth researcher at the University of Manchester in England.

Visit our Evidence page to learn more about the research and evidence behind Count the Kicks.

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Become a Count the Kicks Champion

Count the Kicks Champions actively support the implementation and reach of our program in a clinical or community setting. Champions raise awareness of fetal movement monitoring in their hospital, clinic or community, reinforce consistent education for both patients and providers, and integrate Count the Kicks education into routine care.

Become a <em>Count the Kicks</em> Champion

As a Count the Kicks Champion, you will gain access to an exclusive suite of Count the Kicks-branded educational tools, materials, and resources designed to amplify your educational efforts and outreach.

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Provider Resources

Use these tools and resources to talk about fetal movement monitoring with expectant parents.

  • Count the Kicks App

    Our pregnancy app is free and available in 20+ languages in the app store. It is a simple, non-invasive way for expectant parents to monitor their baby’s well-being every day in the third trimester.

    Learn More

  • Printable Charts

    Our printable counting charts are a great option for expectant parents who can’t access our free app or don’t have access to strong internet, broadband or a smartphone.

    Learn More

  • Digital Education

    The How to Count flyers explain how to use Count the Kicks and access our free app. These digital flyers are a great compliment to our printed educational materials.

    Learn More

Impact of Stillbirth

Research shows a change in a baby’s movement can be the earliest and sometimes only sign there may be an issue in the pregnancy.

  • 1 in 185

    1 in every 185 of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in stillbirth, according to the CDC.

  • 15%

    According to one study, more than 15% of maternal deaths within 42 days of delivery occur in women who experienced a stillbirth.

  • 32%

    In the first 10 years of the Count the Kicks program in Iowa, the state’s stillbirth rate decreased nearly 32%.

Learn more about stillbirth in the U.S. and how Count the Kicks can help to improve outcomes for moms and babies.

Stillbirth in the U.S.

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Teaching parents to use Count the Kicks is simple. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it could save a baby’s life.

Best Practices for Count the Kicks Providers

How to Count Kicks

Having the Kick Counting Conversation with Patients

By helping moms get to know their baby’s movement patterns in pregnancy, we can improve birth outcomes not just for babies, but for moms too.

Videos Hub

Healthcare Providers Recommend Count the Kicks

Every expectant parent needs to learn how to Count the Kicks, which is why the support of healthcare professionals is essential to make kick counting a common practice. The best time to teach Count the Kicks is at the beginning of the third trimester so moms can get started right away.

TESTIMONIALS

Dr. Neil Mandsager, Medical Director, MercyOne Perinatal Center

“There is no doubt that Count the Kicks was critically important in reducing the stillbirth rate here in Iowa and I am sure it’s going to do the same across the country and around the world.”

–Dr. Neil Mandsager, Medical Director, MercyOne Perinatal Center

TESTIMONIALS

Rose L. Horton

“There is no doubt that Count the Kicks is vitally important in eradicating preventable stillbirths. Informing the birthing community of this user-friendly app is a game changer as well as a life saver. I am wholeheartedly in support as this aligns so well with my hashtag #notonmywatch, a call to action for all nurses to eradicate preventable maternal mortality.”

– Rose L. Horton, MSM, RNC-OB, NEA-BC, Specialty Director, Emory Decatur Hospital; Founder & CEO, #NotOnMyWatch Consulting Partners

Childbirth Education

Teaching expectant parents how to Count the Kicks should be as common as teaching them the importance of taking a prenatal vitamin or having a car seat installed before their baby arrives. Childbirth education classes are a vital time to educate expectant parents about Count the Kicks.

  • Childbirth Education Lesson Plan- English

    Download

  • Childbirth Education Lesson Plan- Spanish

    Download

TESTIMONIALS

Jennifer Callahan, MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center

“In all of our prenatal classes at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, we teach our families about the importance of tracking baby’s movements in the 3rd trimester and counting their kicks.”

-Jenn Halligan, Manager of Childbirth Education and Doula Services for MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center

Improving the Conversation

Facilitating Conversations Between Patients and Providers

By paying attention to their baby’s movements every day in the third trimester, expectant parents will have the peace of mind to know when things are OK and when things have changed. It’s like having a data download for motherly intuition! 

With the Count the Kicks app, expectant parents can even download and share data via text or email directly with their healthcare provider. This data can serve as a helpful resource to determine the next best steps for mom and baby. 

App: How to Share a Kick Counting Session

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Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant for diagnosis or treatment. Use of this information should be done in accordance with your healthcare provider.

©2021-2025 Healthy Birth Day, Inc.® and Count the Kicks® All Rights Reserved.

Count the Kicks® is a program of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the prevention of stillbirth through education, advocacy and research.