Tarrant County Public Health and Wellpoint Texas Partner with Count the Kicks To Launch Local Stillbirth Prevention Program

Announcement in recognition of Upcoming Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day, Sept. 19

FORT WORTH, TX – (SEPTEMBER 18, 2025) – Tarrant County Public Health and Wellpoint Texas are partnering with Count the Kicks, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention program, to educate expectant parents in the county about the importance of paying attention to their baby’s movements in the third trimester of pregnancy. 

Research shows nearly 30% of stillbirths can be prevented when expectant parents are educated on how to monitor their baby’s movements daily starting at 28 weeks. The organizations involved in the collaboration have set a goal to save 43 babies in Tarrant County annually. 

“Supporting the health of mothers and babies is one of the department’s top priorities,” said Brian Byrd, the Tarrant County Public Health Director. “Count the Kicks is a valuable tool that helps educate expectant mothers and has proven to prevent stillbirths. We are delighted to see this resource become available to families across the County.”

The health of a mom and the health of her baby are intrinsically connected. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) lists a change in a baby's movements as one of its 15 urgent maternal warning signs. Research shows a change in a baby’s normal movement pattern is sometimes the first or only indication there may be an issue developing during the pregnancy. 

After a few days using the FREE Count the Kicks mobile app (available in 20+ languages), web-based counting platform or counting on a paper chart, expectant parents will begin to see a pattern, a normal amount of time it takes their baby to get to 10 movements. If their baby’s ‘normal’ changes during the third trimester, this could be a sign of potential problems and is an indication that the expectant parent should call their health care provider right away. 

Wellpoint helps improve health care access and quality for Texans who participate in the state’s Medicaid programs. Thanks to their partnership, maternal health educators and providers in Tarrant County can order Count the Kicks educational materials at no cost to help their work with expectant parents. These materials are available in English and Spanish and can be found at CountTheKicks.org. Momentum is already building for the program. Earlier this month more than 70 health care providers and community educators participated in the inaugural training on Count the Kicks. 

"Wellpoint is honored to collaborate with Count the Kicks and the Tarrant County Public Health to expand access to vital maternal health education across North Texas,” said Cealee Thomas, MD, medical director, Wellpoint Texas. “Through provider training and public awareness efforts, we’re empowering healthcare professionals and expectant parents with tools to recognize early warning signs and help prevent stillbirth. This partnership reflects our mutual commitment to improving maternal and child health outcomes for families across North Texas.” 

Stillbirth is commonly defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater gestation during pregnancy. It is a national public health crisis that impacts more than 20,000 families in the U.S. every year, according to the CDC. Every year 135 families in Tarrant County experience the tragedy of stillbirth.  For expectant parents in Tarrant County, one in every 209 pregnancies ends in stillbirth.  Differences in stillbirth outcomes persist, and data shows that a disproportionate number of babies are born still to Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native families. Expectant parents in some age groups, geographic locations, and those expecting multiples also face an increased risk of stillbirth.

Research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology  shows a more than 30% reduction in Iowa’s stillbirth rate in the first 10 years of the Count the Kicks program at a time when America’s stillbirth rate remained stagnant. The results have led researchers to call for urgent action to address the stillbirth crisis in the U.S. and to study Count the Kicks on a national level. Through this collaboration, Wellpoint is hoping to bring the same success to Tarrant County, which would save approximately 43 babies in the state each year.  

###

About Wellpoint Texas

Wellpoint, part of the Elevance Health family of brands, focuses on improving physical health and the behavioral and social drivers that impact it through a comprehensive suite of Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial products. The Wellpoint companies offer healthcare services for consumers at any stage of life seeking to make the right care decisions and help individuals and communities make real, positive progress with health plans that foster independence, confidence, and whole-person health. For more information, please visit www.wellpoint.com.

About Count the Kicks 

Count the Kicks is a program of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of stillbirth. The free Count the Kicks app is available in 20+ languages in the Google Play and iOS app stores. The app has been downloaded more than 700,000 times and counting in all 50 U.S. states, and more than 140 other countries. We have appeared on Good Morning America, The Washington Post, Sunday Night Football, and in O Magazine, and produced a national PSA that has generated more than 300 million viewer impressions. Learn more about our vision to save at least 6,000 babies every year at CountTheKicks.org.