October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a chance to remember those who have lost a child during pregnancy or lost a child in infancy.
Thousands of Americans annually experience the tragedy of losing a baby in the final weeks of pregnancy. This is defined as stillbirth, and it is a public health tragedy that is happening to more than 21,000 babies yearly. That is the equivalent of a school bus full of kindergartners every day.
For families who experience a stillbirth, the pain lasts a lifetime.
Perfectly healthy women are blindsided to find out their baby has no heartbeat. One moment, they are busy preparing their homes and their lives to bring home a new baby, and the next moment, they are saying goodbye to the baby they looked forward to bringing home. This is the devastating reality of stillbirth, and many families never even hear the word stillbirth until it happens to them.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Research shows at least one in four stillbirths can be prevented. I believe we can and must do more to prevent stillbirths.
On Aug. 20, 2008, my family’s life was changed forever when my husband and I lost our second daughter, Sarah Amelia, at 26 weeks. We lacked support from community resources to help us cope with loss and heal. We could save babies’ lives if families had more tools and resources.
In the United States, stillbirth is defined as losing a baby at 20 to 40-plus weeks of pregnancy, and it happens to one in every 175 pregnancies. Families are 6.5 times more likely to lose a baby to stillbirth than sudden infant death syndrome. As is the case with other maternal health outcomes, racial disparities persist. A disproportionate number of babies are born still to Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (one in 94 chance), Black (one in 97 chance), and American Indian or Alaska Native (one in 128 chance) families.
Stillbirths increase the risk of maternal mortality and morbidity and negatively affect parental mental health and family well-being. During October, we have an opportunity to raise awareness about the effects of stillbirth and share proven solutions to prevent this tragedy from happening. And also to give support so families can heal.
One proven solution is a public health program called “Count the Kicks.” This simple, evidence-based method helps expectant parents learn the standard movement patterns of their baby, allows them recognize when movement patterns change, and encourages them to seek evaluation if there is a change, which is pivotal for timely intervention. Count the Kicks has a free app (available in 16 languages) that makes it easy for expectant parents to monitor their baby’s well-being daily in the third trimester.
Join me in recognizing Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and remembering the thousands of families affected by stillbirth. Get involved in supporting efforts to improve birth outcomes. Right now, there are two pieces of national legislation that could bring real change to stillbirth prevention efforts: the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act and the SHINE for Autumn Act.
I urge you to learn more about these bills, help raise awareness about the effect of stillbirth, and share proven solutions like Count the Kicks. If we work together, we can make stillbirth a maternal health tragedy of the past.
Latonya Williams-West operates a community doula in the Richmond, Virginia, area and is a state ambassador for Count the Kicks. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.
