NC Family Staff | July 29, 2024 | SHARE: 
It is an exciting time for pregnant women and their unborn babies! After two years of hard work by numerous organizations and individuals, on July 12, 2024, The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act was signed into federal law.
NC Family wrote about this legislation after it was originally introduced in March of 2022 primarily through the efforts of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., a non-profit stillbirth prevention organization, and their stillbirth prevention program, Count the Kicks. We shared the story of NC Family’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Heather Greene, and the full-term loss of her daughter, Addison Margaret. Heather, a former NC Count the Kicks Ambassador, helped in the initial stages of getting the Act introduced to Congress.
Hearing the news of the Act’s passage evoked a tearful response from Heather, “I’m so incredibly grateful to the Healthy Birth Day staff and partnering organizations for the countless hours they put into getting this legislation passed. And to the many mothers, fathers, families and friends who took the time to petition Congress both in person and via phone calls, emails and social media, thank you just isn’t enough. What this means for future pregnant mothers and their unborn babies is that FINALLY the funding will be available to properly research ways to PREVENT stillbirth. I’m proud to have been a part of something that I know will save thousands of mothers and their babies.”
According to Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the primary stakeholder of this legislation, this law amends Title V of the Social Security Act to add stillbirth and stillbirth prevention, an issue not addressed in this law for the almost 89 years of this Act. Per Healthy Birth Day, “The Title V Block Grant is the single largest funding mechanism to address maternal and child health issues in the United States, with services reaching more than 93% of pregnant women in 2022. Currently, fewer than 20 state health departments are using a portion of these existing funds to address stillbirth, leaving expectant parents in most U.S. states and territories more vulnerable to stillbirth. This clarification will support stillbirth prevention activities, thereby helping to save the lives of mothers and babies.”
Defined as a loss of pregnancy at 20-weeks gestation or later, stillbirth occurs in one out of every 175 pregnancies with 25% of those stillbirths being potentially preventable. The Count the Kicks program and free app was developed to help expectant mothers monitor the movement of their baby during the third trimester encouraging them to speak up if they notice a change. In Count the Kicks’ first ten years in the state of Iowa, where it the program was initially introduced, there was a 32% decrease in stillbirth while the United States stillbirth rate remained stagnant. Heather wanted to stress that while the passage of the Maternal and Child Stillbirth Prevention Act is a massive step forward in increasing awareness and prevention of stillbirth, Count the Kicks is a PROVEN tool women can use TODAY to alert and protect both mother and baby from pregnancy complications that lead to stillbirth. If you are or someone you know is expecting, introduce them to the free Count the Kicks app and help them enjoy a healthy pregnancy outcome.
