NEW YORK, NEW YORK – (Sept. 23, 2024) – Today, Healthy Birth Day, Inc. (HBD) announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting innovative new AI technology and research that will help identify patterns and risk factors in pregnancy that may otherwise go unnoticed. Through their Commitment to Action with CGI, machine learning will help to reduce disparities in maternal and fetal health. A change in a baby’s movement patterns in the third trimester is often an early red flag in pregnancy that something might be going wrong. Maternal health researchers will study, through the Count the Kicks app, whether AI can accurately predict and warn providers when something is off.
In addition, the organization is unveiling its new ‘Ask Ana’ feature, an AI-generated assistant where users can receive evidence-based, curated responses to questions about baby’s movement, providing additional autonomy and advocacy for expectant parents. The AI-based assistant will provide real-time support to expectant mothers, offering insights tailored to their unique pregnancy experiences. After strong demand from current app users and doctors nationwide, Count the Kicks is also adding a contraction timer to its free app later this year.
This project expands upon promising success the organization has already had in saving lives through its Count the Kicks program. In Iowa where the program started, the organization witnessed a 32% overall stillbirth rate reduction in the first 10 years, and a 39% reduction in the Black stillbirth rate in just five years.
CEO Emily Price and Program Director Megan Aucutt are representing the organization at the CGI 2024 Annual Meeting to share the work with global leaders. “I look forward to meeting leaders who have had success in advancing solutions to our greatest global challenges and sharing how Count the Kicks is a solution that is working to improve birth outcomes for moms and babies everywhere,” Price said.
Count the Kicks is an early warning system that educates expectant parents to get to know what movement patterns are normal for their baby in the third trimester and empowers them to speak up to their provider if normal changes. Further modernizing the early detection tools to integrate AI will act as a communication tool to use between patient and provider, which can improve front line defense of critical pregnancy issues. The Count the Kicks app currently averages 11,000 new users every month as users enter the third trimester. An estimated 400,000 pregnant people through August 2027 will be impacted by this commitment.
“By leveraging AI to develop a data-driven risk assessment tool, we are laying the groundwork for more effective interventions to significantly improve birth outcomes. This work represents a crucial step forward in stillbirth prevention and maternal health, all while ensuring that our tools remain remain free, innovative and easy to use,” said Healthy Birth Day, Inc. Program Director Megan Aucutt, who oversees the organization’s research program and app innovations.
Research surrounding this project will create a roadmap to develop a risk assessment tool the medical community can use to improve outcomes, specifically for those most at risk of stillbirth and other adverse maternal and birth outcomes. In addition, HBD commits to share its lifesaving, evidence-based maternal health program Count the Kicks in communities impacted by health disparities, with a particular focus on Black expectant parents, who face a two times greater risk of experiencing stillbirth. Through CGI, HBD hopes to grow its partnerships across the country as the AI tool is being designed and tested. This includes increasing downloads of its free kick-counting app, training health workers, hosting community events, and distributing printed educational materials that are proven to save lives.
“We believe Healthy Birth Day‘s commitment will truly move the needle in improving birth outcomes and preventing stillbirths for vulnerable communities,” said Greg Milne, CEO of the Clinton Global Initiative. “By utilizing AI to impact maternal health inequities, we’re excited to amplify solutions to our most pressing common challenges.”
HBD seeks implementing partners with lived experiences and topic expertise related to maternal health barriers within Black communities for this Commitment to Action. The organization also seeks funding partners aligned with its mission to improve birth outcomes among Black expectant parents, which could include individual, corporate, and foundation donors as well as health departments, managed care organizations, and hospital systems. To become involved, please contact CEO Emily Price.
Commitment Maker
Through our Commitment to Action we will work with researchers to use innovative new AI technology to develop a risk assessment tool the medical community can use to improve birth outcomes.
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