Count the Kicks Stillbirth Prevention Program Expands to North Carolina Through Partnership with NCDHHS

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services joins communities in reducing the rate of stillbirth through the evidence-based Count the Kicks program

RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is partnering with Count the Kicks, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention program, to educate expectant parents about the importance of paying attention to their baby’s movements in the third trimester of pregnancy. Research shows at least 25% of stillbirths are potentially preventable.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) lists a change in a baby's movements as one of its 15 urgent maternal warning signs. Research shows a change in a baby’s normal movement pattern is sometimes the first or only indication there may be an issue developing during the pregnancy. By making movement monitoring (also known as kick counting) easy and accessible for moms, Count the Kicks and NCDHHS are working together to improve birth outcomes for moms and babies in North Carolina, sometimes saving two lives at once.

After a few days using the FREE Count the Kicks mobile app (available in 20+ languages), web-based counting platform or counting on a paper chart, expectant parents will begin to see a pattern, a normal amount of time it takes their baby to get to 10 movements. If their baby’s “normal” changes during the third trimester, this could be a sign of potential problems and is an indication that the expectant parent should call their health care provider right away.

Thanks to the partnership with NCDHHS, maternal health providers, birthing hospitals, social service agencies, childbirth educators and other providers in North Carolina can order FREE Count the Kicks educational materials (available at CountTheKicks.org) to help them have a conversation about baby’s movement patterns with expectant parents. These materials are available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

Denver, North Carolina, resident Tomeka James Isaac knows the heartbreak of leaving the hospital without a baby. As the Executive Director of Jace’s Journey and a Count the Kicks Ambassador, Isaac has been working alongside other advocates to bring the Count the Kicks program to North Carolina. “I advocated to bring Count the Kicks to North Carolina because every family deserves information that helps them recognize changes in their baby’s movements and feel empowered to speak up,” Isaac said. “My hope is that this education leads to earlier conversations, timely care and more babies coming home safely. For my family, this work is one way we honor Jace’s life and the future we dreamed of for him. His legacy lives in our commitment to helping other families have that future.”

Stillbirth is commonly defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater gestation during pregnancy. It is a national public health crisis that impacts more than 20,000 families in the U.S. every year, according to the CDC. Every year 705 North Carolina families experience the tragedy of stillbirth. For expectant parents in the state, one in every 173 births ends in stillbirth.

Disparities in stillbirth outcomes persist, and data shows that a disproportionate number of babies are born still to Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native families. Expectant parents in some age groups, geographic locations, and those expecting multiples also face an increased risk of stillbirth.

Count the Kicks helps improve birth outcomes for moms and babies. Research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology demonstrates the effectiveness of Count the Kicks as a method for stillbirth prevention. The results have led researchers to call for urgent action to address the stillbirth crisis in the U.S. and to study Count the Kicks on a national level.

NCDHHS is joining communities across the country in reducing the rate of stillbirth through the evidence-based Count the Kicks program. The goal is to save approximately 176 babies in North Carolina each year.

Healthcare professionals and members of the public are invited to attend a free webinar on Oct. 27 at 12 p.m. EST to learn more about the tools and resources available in North Carolina through the Count the Kicks program.

About Count the Kicks

Count the Kicks is a program of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of stillbirth. The free Count the Kicks app is available in 20+ languages in the Google Play and iOS app stores. The app has been downloaded more than 1.6 million times and counting in all 50 U.S. states, and more than 160 other countries. We have appeared on Good Morning America, The Washington Post, Sunday Night Football, and in O Magazine, and produced a national PSA that has generated more than 300 million viewer impressions. Since launching in Iowa in 2008, we continue to join communities across the country in reducing the rate of stillbirth through the evidence-based Count the Kicks program. Learn more at CountTheKicks.org.

Kimberly Isburg
Healthy Birth Day, Inc.
+1 515-494-5115
isburg.kimberly@healthybirthday.org
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