Tarrant County Public Health launches stillbirth prevention program
Tarrant County Public Health is partnering with Wellpoint Texas and Count the Kicks to start a free stillbirth prevention program.
The partnership will train expectant parents with education, including through a free app, on tracking their baby’s movements during the third trimester of pregnancy. The goal of the program will be to save 43 babies in Tarrant County each year. Stillbirth is defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater gestation during pregnancy.
“Supporting the health of mothers and babies is one of the department’s top priorities,” said Dr. Brian Byrd, the director of Tarrant County Public Health. “Count the Kicks is a valuable tool that helps educate expectant mothers and has proven to prevent stillbirths.”
An estimated 30% of stillbirths can be prevented when new parents are education on how to monitor their baby’s movements starting at 28 weeks, according to Count the Kicks. The Count the Kicks app is available in more than 20 languages.
