[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 122 (Monday, July 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            COUNT THE KICKS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ZACHARY NUNN

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 17, 2023

  Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a silent 
crisis in the U.S. Stillbirths claim the lives of more than 21,000 
babies every year.
  After suffering devastating stillborn losses, 5 Iowa women took their 
grief and turned it into fuel; they wanted to keep other families from 
joining their club. So, they founded the nonprofit organization Healthy 
Birth Day, and along with the Iowa Department of Health and Human 
Services, they have since lowered Iowa's stillbirth rate by 32 percent. 
Based on scientific evidence, their Count the Kicks stillbirth 
prevention program educates expectant parents about the importance of 
tracking fetal movement in the third trimester of pregnancy.
  With programs to educate and empower expectant parents with 
stillbirth prevention education, we can save thousands of babies from 
preventable stillbirth each year. The stillbirth crisis is URGENT and 
needs to be addressed, so I want to acknowledge the powerful work of 
these Iowans on a bi-partisan issue we should all get behind.
  I want to also take a moment to recognize Brian and Mary Lohse and 
their daughter Genevieve, as well as Arizona Count the Kicks 
Ambassador, Shawn Soumilas, and her son Zach for their tireless work to 
prevent stillbirths.

                          ____________________