Recently, one of our doulas talked with her birth doula clients about the clients’ goals for her labor and delivery experience. The client shared everything that was important to her and her partner for her, and their baby, to live the experience. Because of the real concerns expressed by the client, her doula told her directly that she should consider using the Count the Kick app, as it is an evidence-based method to reduce preventable stillbirths. To this the client replied that he knew about Count the Kicks, and he discussed it with his doctor, but they felt it would cause unnecessary stress and anxiety, so he decided not to use it, because he felt his baby was moving all the time anyway.
This is a common thing that doulas may hear from clients. That is, the idea that too much information can cause them increased or undue anxiety. We understand the struggle our clients can feel when it comes to wanting enough information to make informed decisions but not just to increase anxiety throughout the pregnancy!
However, when we spoke with former Doulas of Capitol Hill client, Liz O’Donnell, Aaliyah’s stillborn mother, and founder of Aaliyah in Action, she shared her own experience as someone who had a low-risk, healthy pregnancy but still had a stillbirth. Liz told us, “CTK is a way of connecting with your baby – not a source of anxiety or a fear-based tool. I’m really disappointed to hear that (a healthcare) provider is getting in the way (red) of a parent who used a tool that could strengthen my relationship with Aaliyah and possibly save her life.”
The good news we know from evidence and experience: knowledge is power!
In the first 10 years of the Count the Kicks campaign in Iowa, the state’s death rate dropped 32% while rates in the rest of the country remained relatively stagnant. According to Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs“If every state implemented our Count the Kicks program, we have the potential to save 7,500 babies from preventable stillbirths each year.”
