Sept. 19, 2023

PUSHing for Change: Stillbirth Awareness & Prevention with PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy

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Season 1

In episode 49, we sit down with two members of PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, Allie Felker and Ana Lepe Vick.  These ladies share their personal stories of losing their babies to stillbirth, how this can happen to anyone, and what drove them to join PUSH to raise awareness and fight for change. 

We also discuss two very important Federal Bills that would help prevent stillbirths.  We need you to call your Representatives and ask them to support the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act and the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act (SPA) (there is more information on each below).

Ana Lepe Vick is a maternal health advocate and stillbirth rights activist who grew up in the Bay Area and is a recent North Carolina transplant. She and Joshua, her husband of 16 years, are parents to 3 beautiful children (one no longer in their arms, but always in their hearts). Her traumatic experience with two miscarriages and her middle son, Owen Nathaniel's, unexpected stillbirth at delivery in 2015, called her to join the fight to end preventable stillbirths. As the Co-Director of Communications for PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy and Count the Kicks' Latinx Advisor, she is on the frontline of the movement to push for systemic change and save babies in memory of her son and all babies gone too soon. 

Allie Felker is a California native and a mother to three. She is a self-proclaimed loudmouth and high school debate nerd. Allie enjoys public speaking and actually met her husband by giving a TEDx talk! Despite being in the middle of a pandemic, her first pregnancy was perfect. As a healthy 28-year-old she never dreamed something could go wrong, especially after surpassing that daunting 13-week mark. But at nearly 32 weeks Allie was blindsided to learn that her son Henry Justice Felker (Hank) had died in her womb and would be stillborn. Allie has found peace through advocacy and enjoys using her voice as a way to parent Hank. She has two living children, Octavia Victory (Tavie) and Maximus Valor (Max) who are advocates in training. 


PUSH For Empowered Pregnancy
PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy is on a mission to end preventable stillbirth, and we're not taking no for an answer. 65 babies are dying in the second half of pregnancy every single day in the US. This is unacceptable and it's beyond time for change.

​PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy exists for one reason, and one reason alone: to kickstart the pace of change in the US using big, bold, innovative action to save as many babies' lives as possible, as quickly as possible.

CALL TO ACTION
Contact your representatives with a pre-populated message about SHINE and SPA using this link: bit.ly/StopStillbirth 

Information on Stillbirth Prevention Bills
More information about SHINE (H.R. 5012/S.2647)
More information about SPA (H.R.4581/S.2231)

Connect with Allie & Ana:
@allierosefelker & @stillmyson

Connect with Us:
United SHE Stands Instagram

Other Resources:
countthekicks.org

This episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:

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