Our team of volunteers here at PUSH is blown away by the incredible response to our newly launched "Stillness Is An Illness" Awareness Campaign and PUSH short film. But we're not done yet!
Our mission is to eradicate preventable stillbirth in the United States by 2035, and some of the ways we are doing that is by raising awareness of stillbirth risk and driving top-down systemic change in healthcare and public policy to prioritize stillbirth prevention.
So how does "Stillness Is An Illness" fit in? This three-phase campaign is designed to change clinical treatment guidelines for all pregnancies through the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG).
PHASE 1: AWARENESS (In Progress)
Create awareness by connecting our story with maternal and fetal health advocates nationwide through the short film: PUSH.
PHASE 2: ACTIVATION (Raising Funds for 2024 Target)
Activate healthcare professionals with the tools and information they need to demand top-down system-wide change—from within.
PHASE 3: IMPACT (2025 Target)
Compel ACOG to implement nationwide protocols that standardize provider education and clinical evaluation of altered fetal movement.
We need your help to make Phase 1 a success and progress to Phase 2 & 3 to really start saving lives.
Here's what you can do:
Donate: Contribute here
How does this help? Funds will enable us to reach both a larger audience of the general public, and a more targeted audience of prenatal healthcare professionals who have the power the create change. We have PR partners, paid media opportunities, and other creative ideas at the ready, but we don't have the budget to fund them. We're looking for Corporate/Philanthropic Partners, smaller donations from the community (every dollar counts!), and everything in between. If you can't give, pledge to help fundraise!
Amplify: Share stillnessisanillness.com everywhere! How does this help? Top priority right now is getting as many eyes on the PUSH short film as possible to move hearts, change minds, and inspire a broader coalition of people to join our movement. There are many ways to help, including:
Like/Follow/Share on Social Media: @pushpregnancy + @treatstillness on your favorite platform(s)
Target Local News: If you are a parent or provider with a story that helps bring this issue to life, use our simple submission template below to ask your local newspaper, magazine, alumni publication, etc. to raise awareness.
Utilize Your Network: Ask friends, family, and colleagues to take 7 minutes out of their day to watch the film, and then to take action by passing it on to other. Copy/paste a suggested message below to text/email/post.
Connect: Know someone who can assist? Contact us
How does this help? Are you a PR/marketing/advertising professional who can donate time, expertise, or discounted ad space to help us to get the word out? Do you know a journalist or influencer who might be willing to share our message? Are you part of an online community or mailing list with expectant families, healthcare professionals, or others who need to know about stillbirth? Do you have other innovative ideas to help us broaden our reach? We LOVE creativity and are not afraid to push boundaries in service of saving lives. Let's do this!
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Copy/Paste Message:
Have you seen this powerful 7-min film? stillnessisanillness.com We could save 1 in 4 babies from stillbirth with simple prenatal care standards like urgently treating changes in fetal movement. Please watch & share to 3 other people who need to know about this!
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Press Release w/ General Overview: https://www.pushpregnancy.org/post/press-release-stillness-campaign-launch
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Local Media Submission Template:
(Please update the highlighted text below to apply to you!)
Email Subject: INTERVIEW AVAILABLE: Local [parent who lost a child to stillbirth / healthcare provider / community-based org] part of nationwide campaign to reform prenatal care and prevent stillbirth
Email Body:
I’m a local [parent / healthcare provider / maternal health advocate] taking part in a new national campaign to reform prenatal care and save babies' lives. The national Stillness Is An Illness campaign is underway with the public launch of a powerful short film exploring the critical impact of healthcare professionals' potentially life changing decisions during pregnancy. The film is intended to increase awareness among parents and medical professionals that treating decreased fetal movement with urgency has been shown to help prevent stillbirth. WATCH THE 7 MINUTE FILM HERE
Local Interview: [This is the WHY this outlet should speak to you. Short paragraph stating your name, your connection to PUSH/the stillbirth movement, and how you are supporting the campaign through advocacy (by sharing a personal story, raising funds, hosting an event, etc. - be specific, especially if you’ve done something local!). Include links to any applicable personal blogs, podcasts, social media, photos, videos, etc.]
Why This Matters:
Each day, 65 American babies are born still, and at least 1 in 4 of these are preventable.
In 2023, there were [INSERT FIGURE] stillbirths in [INSERT STATE] alone. [Googling "stillbirths in [STATE]" usually works!]
Changes in fetal movement are often the first and only sign of distress, yet there are no standardized guidelines for US healthcare professionals on how to educate parents on this critical issue during routine prenatal care, or how to respond when a parent raises concerns.
55% of mothers who experienced a stillbirth were never told about the importance of paying attention to fetal movement.
What does 'Stillness Is An Illness' mean? Altered fetal movement (AFM) in pregnancy is an often-overlooked or dismissed issue in pregnancy. Treating this symptom like an other symptom of potential ‘illness’ during pregnancy (think: fever, sudden vomiting, severe pain, etc.) by establishing standardized guidelines for healthcare providers to act with urgency could save the lives of thousands of babies every year.
Powered by PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, a national nonprofit of volunteer parents committed to eradicating preventable stillbirth in the US, the ‘Stillness Is An Illness’ campaign seeks to:
Raise awareness and equip healthcare professionals with essential tools to drive system-wide changes
Urge the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) to implement standardized, nationwide protocols that ensure provider education and clinical evaluation of altered fetal movement, ultimately saving lives by recognizing stillness as a critical sign of fetal distress.
Visuals:
[include links to 3-5 photos or videos illustrating your personal story and/or advocacy for this cause]
Media Kit with movie poster & trailer available HERE.