In the first 10 years of the Count the Kicks campaign in Iowa, the state’s stillbirth rate went down 32% while rates in the rest of the country remained relatively stagnant.

Research shows that the risk of severe maternal morbidity is more than four times higher among stillbirth deliveries compared with live births. “The Link Between Stillbirth and Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: Firsthand Accounts from American Women” includes first-hand accounts from 8 women who shared how speaking up about a change in their baby’s movement not only helped their baby to have a safe arrival, but also identified and addressed pregnancy complications that put their own life at risk.