Purpose for the program: Every year, more than 25,000 families nationwide experience the stillbirth of a baby- with more than 50 percent of those deaths occurring during the last trimester. In Delaware, of the women interviewed through the Fetal Infant Mortality Review maternal interviews, 70 percent reported that they were not educated on fetal movement and there was no documentation of education on fetal movement in their medical records.

Proposed change:  Counting and tracking significant changes in a baby’s movement patterns may help identify potential problems with a pregnancy.

Implementation, outcomes and evaluation: Kicks Count is a statewide awareness campaign dedicated to improving the chances of delivery a healthy baby by reducing stillbirth rates, which occur in approximately one out of every 150 pregnancies nationwide. The toolkit contains multilingual low literacy materials that help patients learn to track kick counts. These include: patient education brochures, a tracker picture booklet for recording a baby’s daily movement, and educational information for medical providers and practices who distribute the materials.

Implications for nursing practice: Nurses who interact with pregnant women and their families will have new resources to share with patients which can improve outcomes.

Keywords: stillbirth, kick counting, Fetal infant mortality review (FIMR), patient education