Holly Willoughby and Alesha Dixon: Why you should 'Count the Kicks'

On Wednesday night, Holly Willoughby from ITV’s ‘Surprise Surprise’ urged Mums to ‘count the kicks’ and joining the campaign to reduce the number of stillbirths in the UK.

‘Count the Kicks’ is a charity which is working tirelessly to reduce the number of stillbirths in the UK. Holly Willoughby welcomed Sophia Wyatt, founder of ‘Count the Kicks’ onto the stage having been nominated by fellow campaigner, Elizabeth Hutton who some may recognise from the Baby Shows.

“Having recently given birth myself, this campaign really resonates with me,” said Holly recently.

“The sad fact is that a third of stillborn babies are perfectly formed and born at gestation, when they could be safely delivered. That is a frightening statistic and that is why I fully support the work that Count the Kicks are doing in educating mums-to-be about being aware of their baby’s movements.”

Sophia set up the charity after her baby girl, Chloe was stillborn just days before her due date (See her story in the video above). Sophia is adamant that had she known about counting the kicks, then Chloe may have been here today. This is when Sophia started ‘Count the Kicks’. Shortly after, Sophia found herself pregnant again with George. Weeks before she was due to give birth, she again noticed a drop in her baby’s movements but knew this time to listen to her instincts and get medical help. George was born early but alive. Since then, Sophia has worked to build this charity to what it is today. With 800,000 pregnancies in the UK every year it is their aim to make sure that each and every pregnant woman knows to count the kicks.

Shortly after sharing Sophia sad but inspirational story about why she set up the charity, Alesha Dixon surprised the pair on the stage.

Alesha Added “I’m a mum myself so can really empathise with what women who go through the tragedy of stillbirth must feel.   Only around 10% of stillbirths are caused by a fatal congenital abnormality, meaning there is a potential to save up to 90% of stillborn babies.  I’m a firm believer that mums should always trust their instincts – if you notice a change in your baby’s movements, seek advice quickly from a healthcare professional.” 

Holly and Alesha have agreed to feature in a hard hitting poster campaign to help promote Count the Kicks spreading the message to as many mums as possible.

Elizabeth Hutton, CEO of Count the Kicks said, “this is such a generous gift and we are so grateful for the support that we have had from Holly Willoughby and Alesha Dixon in helping us raise awareness of this issue.  Every day, 17 babies are stillborn in the UK.   Many of these deaths could easily be avoided.  The aim of this campaign and of all the work we do at Count the Kicks is to cut that number by at least a third.  We are delighted that Holly Willoughby and Alesha Dixon have kindly lent their support to this poster campaign and to help get our message out to mums-to-be across the UK. 

The poster campaign is designed to make mums-to-be aware of the simple steps they can take to monitor their baby’s movements during pregnancy."

Count the Kicks want mums to remain alert for any changes in their baby’s movement pattern. If there are any, immediatly seek the advice of, or visit a healthcare professional – do not rely on internet forums or well meaning friends and family.

For more information, visit the Count the Kicks website. If you wish to donate to Count the Kicks, visit the Dontation Page.

Did you/do you count the kicks, do you know a friend who should? Share and help spread this vital information.