OMAHA -- One campaign, collaborating with Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative, is saving the lives of babies before their birth presents complications.

"That gives me goosebumps just thinking about it because the doctor had said, had I waited another hour to come in, she would not have survived," said Jess Hanson, campaign beneficiary.

Jess Hanson, a nurse from Omaha, learned about the campaign "Count the Kicks" at a baby fair while pregnant with her daughter Chloe.

It was started by Healthy Birth Day Inc., a nonprofit started by five Iowa mothers who had all lost a daughter to stillbirth or infant death.

"When the Count the Kicks campaign started in 2016, Nebraska was the 35th worst state for stillbirths. Since then we've moved up to the fifth-best rate," said Shannon Vaccaro, Campaign Ambassador in Omaha.

Vaccaro said they educate expectant mothers about the number of kicks babies must present in the womb, through a mobile app. It's helped more than 3,000 mothers in Nebraska, like Hanson.

"They rushed me into an emergency C-section and delivered her." Having noticed a decrease in kicks, Hanson was able to catch the fact that her placenta had stopped giving her daughter nutrients. "She let out a strong cry which no one was expecting [...] I have a lot of emotions about how that day went," Hanson said.

"You can download "Count the Kicks" to have it as a way to bond with your baby, track fetal movement, help your partner respond with the baby, and if you have any concern reach out to your provider," said Vaccaro.

The statistics of "Count the kicks" show an increase in fetal and maternal death since the pandemic began. But, with their resources, they hope to lower the death rate and save many more lives.

The campaign also has webinars coming up to teach mothers more. The app also comes in 12 different languages.