{Sponsored Post} Count the Kicks

475832_323517501028642_700800295_oWe were honored to be invited to the first annual “Every Woman Counts” luncheon, hosted by the amazing ladies behind the Healthy Birth Day organization.  This event was so moving, so powerful, and so important for us to share with you today. We were blessed to hear the words of Momastery founder Glennon Melton Doyle, to spend an afternoon praising moms and the power in numbers, and above all else, to recognize what this particular group of moms has been able to accomplish.

If you have not heard of the Healthy Birth Day organization, make time today to check out their website and learn about who they are.  The five moms behind this incredible group (all from Des Moines) met in 2003 when they each lost a daughter to stillbirth or infant death.  Since that meeting, they have realized that their losses were not an ending, but rather the beginning of something truly wonderful.

Together, these moms founded Healthy Birth Day, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing stillbirths and infant deaths through education, advocacy and parent support.  Their information has been going home with new and expectant moms in doctors’ offices across Iowa, and we would love to see them getting into the hands of pregnant moms across the country, because what they are teaching can truly be life-saving.

Thanks to the beauty of technology, this organization created the Count the Kicks program in 2009, dedicated to educating expectant parents about the importance of tracking their baby’s movements daily during the third trimester.   And they now have a FREE app, making it possible for  moms near and far to benefit from this important educational tool!  Since the launch of Count the Kicks in 2009, Iowa’s stillbirth rate has decreased 26 percent!  Can you believe it?!

CTK-Poster_Page_1-681x1024The goal of this luncheon was to achieve these same results, and hopefully even higher, across the country.  All proceeds from the event directly benefit Count the Kicks, and as we bring awareness to this incredible group of moms, we hope that more and more families across the nation will learn about this simple, yet lifesaving message and that more babies will come into this world safely and healthy.

Stillbirth occurs in one out of every 160 pregnancies in the United States. That is a staggering number.  Just think, if we could be a part of something that can make that number change for the better!

Take a moment today to check out Healthy Birth Day and Count the Kicks. Visit their website, download their app, and spread the word.  You might just save a life!

 

 

This is a sponsored post.  ICMB was asked to write this post in exchange for items of value. However, all opinions are our own, and we FULLY support the mission of Healthy Birth Day and Count the Kicks.

Sara
Sara and her husband Matt (sweethearts since they were just 16) got married in 2007, and since then have welcomed four beautiful children (Sam in 2008, Cooper in 2010, Nora in 2012, and Adam James in December 2015). A born-and-raised Iowan, Sara received both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees (in Spanish Literature) from the University of Iowa. She's still teaching Spanish wherever and whenever she can, but her true passion is owning Iowa City Moms and building this community alongside her amazing team. Sara is also the Community Engagement Coordinator for City Mom Collective, and the owner of Cowork Collective downtown Iowa City. Common denominator in all of these jobs: community, community, community.

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