INDIANAPOLIS — The number of negative outcomes is still much too high when it comes to babies surviving birth or their first year of life. An Indianapolis Colts player and his wife hosted a community baby shower hoping to help change those outcomes.
“We just give women and expecting parents all of the tools necessary to get to the end and so that they’re not leaving empty-handed,” said Emma Kelly, who’s now a board member of Health Day Inc.
On Tuesday, Emma and her husband Ryan, who plays for the Indianapolis Colts, hosted the community event at Gridiron Hall for new and expecting parents.
They provided free essentials, like diapers, wipes, and most importantly, education to families about infant mortality and stillbirth.
It’s something Emma and Ryan went through themselves in 2021 when their daughter was stillborn.
“Throughout the years of losing our daughters, our boys being born premature, and then having another daughter, the outpouring of community support we felt through the city, through the country, this has always been Emma and I’s idea to give back to families who need it the most,” Ryan Kelly told WRTV.
Indiana has some of the highest stillbirth rates along with infant and maternal mortality rates nationwide.
The state averages roughly rates 466 stillbirths a year.
That’s why Tuesday’s event partnered with several community resources, including the free public campaign “Count the Kicks,” which offers a free app allowing mothers to track their babies.
“We educate and empower expectant parents to get to know their babies’ normal movement patterns in their third trimester because a change in a baby's movements is an early warning,” said Emily Price, the CEO of Healthy Birth Day Inc.
The organization launched the campaign in Indiana just three years ago, but it’s attributed for saving dozens of babies’ lives across the nation.
Emma Kelly also told WRTV it played a major role in her pregnancies with her twin boys and second daughter.
“We wanted to bring the community together to celebrate them, empower them and uplift them and most importantly educate them, especially in some of these a lot of these situations where it’s preventable," she said.
“If I can learn as much as I can, that’s what makes me feel calm and safe. I think there’s a lot of different resources here that have good information that I would know absolutely nothing about unless I came here,” added Diamyn Rembert, 21 weeks pregnant.
More than 350 families registered for the event, all of which got free diapers and wipes.
They also had a chance to win big items like diaper bags, strollers, and more.
