Kicks Count

Emily running for Kicks Count in memory of Gabriel Ray

Emily Little

Emily Little

My Story

I am running the London Marathon 2024 in memory of our baby boy, Gabriel Ray, who couldn’t stay to play. We were so incredibly fortunate to meet our tiny son and spend 75 precious hours in NICU with him before we had to say goodbye. In my final trimester of pregnancy my instinct was telling me that something was wrong with his movements and it was partly thanks to a small charity that I acted when I did.

Kicks Count's Instagram campaign 'Night or Day Don't Delay Call Straight Away' during a week in December 2020 urged me to seek a second, and third, medical opinion when I felt my baby’s movements had reduced at the beginning of the third trimester. Those moments we spent with him during his short, but meaningful life will never be forgotten. Gabriel Ray wasn’t strong or well enough to be saved but another baby might be.

The current rate of stillbirth in the UK is one of the worst in the developed world with 16 stillborn and neonatal deaths every single day. The UK Government has recently pledged to cut this figure by half. Kicks Count fully supports this ambition and will continue to campaign until stillbirths become a rarity in the UK. By running for them I hope to spread awareness to ensure that all pregnant women are encouraged to report any change in their baby’s movements immediately.

I have no doubt that this will be one of the hardest things I ever do but if I can make a difference to just one pregnant person and their baby, then it will be worth it.

Your support is hugely appreciated to help support a small charity on a big mission. Kicks Count empower pregnant women with information about why their baby's movements matter. Something so simple, yet it saves precious lives.

It's easy to look at baby loss statistics as just numbers. They certainly make for an uncomfortable read. We can't ignore that the numbers are babies. As much as stillbirth and neonatal death is uncomfortable and upsetting to read about, it's so much harder to live through.

Thank you for any donations and for sharing this important message with your family and friends.

Kicks Count

Raising for:

Kicks Count
189%

Funded

  • Target
    £1,500
  • Raised so far
    £2,831
  • Number of donors
    95

My Story

I am running the London Marathon 2024 in memory of our baby boy, Gabriel Ray, who couldn’t stay to play. We were so incredibly fortunate to meet our tiny son and spend 75 precious hours in NICU with him before we had to say goodbye. In my final trimester of pregnancy my instinct was telling me that something was wrong with his movements and it was partly thanks to a small charity that I acted when I did.

Kicks Count's Instagram campaign 'Night or Day Don't Delay Call Straight Away' during a week in December 2020 urged me to seek a second, and third, medical opinion when I felt my baby’s movements had reduced at the beginning of the third trimester. Those moments we spent with him during his short, but meaningful life will never be forgotten. Gabriel Ray wasn’t strong or well enough to be saved but another baby might be.

The current rate of stillbirth in the UK is one of the worst in the developed world with 16 stillborn and neonatal deaths every single day. The UK Government has recently pledged to cut this figure by half. Kicks Count fully supports this ambition and will continue to campaign until stillbirths become a rarity in the UK. By running for them I hope to spread awareness to ensure that all pregnant women are encouraged to report any change in their baby’s movements immediately.

I have no doubt that this will be one of the hardest things I ever do but if I can make a difference to just one pregnant person and their baby, then it will be worth it.

Your support is hugely appreciated to help support a small charity on a big mission. Kicks Count empower pregnant women with information about why their baby's movements matter. Something so simple, yet it saves precious lives.

It's easy to look at baby loss statistics as just numbers. They certainly make for an uncomfortable read. We can't ignore that the numbers are babies. As much as stillbirth and neonatal death is uncomfortable and upsetting to read about, it's so much harder to live through.

Thank you for any donations and for sharing this important message with your family and friends.