Des Moines Mom Movers & Shakers is an annual series celebrating local moms who are thinking outside the box and making a difference in the community through the businesses they own, organizations they are involved in, and the work they do. Check out the rest of the series and read profiles from previous years here.
Emily Price is passionate about reducing the number of stillbirths through her work as CEO of Healthy Birth Day, Inc.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
My family consists of Hayden, almost 15, Lyla, 9, my husband Dave, and our border collie mix, Hattie, 4. We live in Urbandale. We love sports, fishing and traveling. We’re currently trying to visit all the National parks. Last year it was Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park and this year we are going to Acadia National Park in Maine.
What do you consider the biggest challenge of motherhood to be?
To me, the biggest challenge of motherhood is that there are not enough hours in the day to feel like I am a great mom, great friend, daughter, great co-worker and great to myself. My biggest joy is watching my kids do what they love – right now that is baseball for Hayden and soccer and basketball for Lyla. Watching them face challenges and then overcome adversity, while in the thick of it is hard — but I love watching them grow stronger and into even better humans with each challenge they face.
Why are you passionate about Healthy Birth Day and how has it grown since you’ve been there?
I am passionate about Healthy Birth Day because I have seen what it can do in my own pregnancies and in thousands of others. Count the Kicks saved my son Hayden’s life. In 2010, at 30 weeks pregnant, I noticed his movements were slowing down. Because I knew to track his movements, I was able to alert my doctor when I noticed the change. Dr. Tami Fahnlander knew exactly how to keep Hayden safe and inside me for 10 more weeks, and Hayden was delivered healthy and on time. I tell every expectant parent I know about kick counting and will do so for the rest of my life. Since I became CEO of HBD in 2017, we have accomplished the following:
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Primary stakeholder organization of the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act that was signed into law by President Joe Biden on July 12, 2024
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Expansion of Count the Kicks into 37 states so far
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Hundreds of presentations across the country in partnership with key allies such as HRSA, OASH, AWHONN, AMCHP, International Stillbirth Alliance, The National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention, National WIC Association, National Rural Health Association, and more
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Collection of 150+ Count the Kicks baby save stories in 37 states and 6 countries
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Currently average more than 10,000 new Count the Kicks app users every month
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Count the Kicks research published in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2023
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Featured on Good Morning America, ProPublica, Sunday Night Football on NBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, Inside Edition, and dozens more media outlets — reaching more than 350 million people across the globe
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The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) named Count the Kicks a Best Practice in 2021
What’s the best part about your job?
Getting new baby save stories never, ever gets old. And, the community that makes those stories possible, is hands down the best group of changemakers around. We have the best staff, ambassadors, volunteers, partners, funders, donors and board — every single person with the power to save a life and they’re using that power every chance they get.
What’s something you wish you knew 10 years ago?
How to scale better. Growing a life-saving organization is not for the faint of heart. Goodness, I wish I had a crystal ball for all the systems, processes and software that would be created to get us to where we want to go. That said, we are saving lives and doing huge things as a tiny nonprofit that started in Iowa but now playing on a global stage. We get more efficient every day.
What advice do you have for working moms?
If you feel like you have done something wrong — missed an event, had a short fuse, or just not lived up to your own standards, my advice is that it’s not too late for repair. Tell your kid you’re sorry, you made a mistake and you love them. I’ve started following Dr. Becky Kennedy, a psychologist who studies repair in relationships and I love her guidance on how to repair. We all make mistakes, it’s how we recover and repair that makes all the difference moving forward.
What do you love about raising a family in Des Moines?
I love the friends we’ve made, and the access to outdoor spaces and trails.
Quick Takes:
Favorite local restaurant
Tumea and Sons
Best place to take kids
Valley View Aquatic Center
Favorite summer activity
Des Moines Farmers Market – my daughter still loves to get her face painted, while I love to sip coffee and pick out flowers and vegetables. We could watch the dogs go by all day long.
How/where do you relax?
Our back porch
Know a Des Moines mom we should feature? Let us know! Email [email protected] with details and we will be in touch.
