Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stillbirth Prevention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Connecticut ambassador urges daily fetal-movement checks to help prevent stillbirths
Summary
On Connecticut Paid Leave—s "5 Minutes of Impact," Megan Morello, Connecticut ambassador for Count the Kicks, described how a simple daily fetal-movement check using a free app or paper method can help detect changes in the third trimester and urged expectant parents to contact providers if they notice differences.
Megan Morello, the Connecticut ambassador for Count the Kicks, told the Connecticut Paid Leave podcast that tracking fetal movement in the third trimester can help prevent some stillbirths and encouraged expectant parents to learn their baby—s normal pattern. "In your third trimester, you pick one time a day, and you track it through our free app," Morello said, describing the program—s method.
Count the Kicks is an evidence-based program that teaches expectant parents how to monitor fetal movement. Morello said the organization—s global goal is to save 6,000 babies a year, and she cited research-based estimates that about one-third of stillbirths may be preventable through fetal movement tracking. "A third of stillbirths can be prevented, which is all evidence based," she said.
Morello gave Connecticut-specific figures, saying the state averages about 158 stillbirths a year and that Count the Kicks aims for 51 "baby saves" in Connecticut. She described the practical steps: pick the time of day when the baby is most active, use the app or paper tracking method to record the time it takes to reach 10 movements, and review the saved data. "After, like, a week, you get an average of how long it takes to get to 10 movements," she said.
Morello also spoke about her personal experience: her son Braden was stillborn on July 28, 2021. She said routine prenatal monitoring did not reveal a problem before a return visit showed there was no fetal heartbeat, and that the loss motivated her work with the program. "I found my new passion to get the word out to help potential expectant parents not have to go through the same trauma," she said.
To reach Count the Kicks— Connecticut ambassador, Morello provided an ambassador email (greenwich.ambassador@countthekicks.org) and directed listeners to countthekicks.org, where the ambassador page lists local contacts. The host, Nancy Barrow, identified herself as engagement manager and podcast host for Connecticut Paid Leave and closed the interview by directing listeners to the Connecticut Paid Leave podcast at ctpaidleave.org for further coverage.
The interview focused on education and early detection; Morello urged parents to contact their health care provider promptly if they notice decreased or otherwise altered fetal movement. The podcast did not record any policy proposals, formal actions, or citations of specific statutes or clinical guidelines during this segment.
