Hi! My name is Danielle Barkley, and I live in Charleston, South Carolina, with my husband, Jonah, and our son, Luke.
On October 13, 2014, our daughter and first child, Lydia Jaelle, was born still at 30 weeks gestation.
My husband and I had gone to the hospital the night before, concerned about Lydia’s lack of movement that day. After having what I would describe as a “picture perfect” pregnancy, we were completely shocked and devastated to learn that our daughter’s heart had stopped beating.
I was induced the following day and gave birth to Lydia. She was absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way – only she was silent and still. An umbilical cord accident had caused her to pass away in my womb.
In the weeks after Lydia’s birth, I started researching and was absolutely stunned to learn that one in 160 pregnancies in the United States ends in stillbirth. It was also at that time that I discovered Count the Kicks and wished that I had known the importance of monitoring Lydia’s movements daily during the third trimester of pregnancy.
I truly believe that if I had been counting her kicks, I would have gotten to the hospital soon enough for her to be born alive and here with us today.
While Lydia is now in Heaven, my goal is to continue to honor her every day on this Earth. I want my daughter’s life to make a difference for others, and I believe that can be accomplished through my work as a Count the Kicks ambassador.
I want every expectant mother in South Carolina and beyond to know how important it is to monitor her baby’s movements during pregnancy.
I am also the co-founder of Walk of Remembrance: Miles for Margaret, Lydia and All Babies Gone to soon, an annual fundraising walk held each fall. All proceeds support the Count the Kicks campaign.
Please help spread the word – Counting kicks saves lives!
Visit here to view the memorial video I created in honor of Lydia.
Back to Ambassadors