Stillbirth Prevention Day: Honoring Conta and Every Baby Born in Silence

By Dominique Johnson, Policy Associate

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For the world, 2020 will always be remembered as the year of sweatpants, Zoom calls, and endless TV marathons, a year defined by COVID-19 and the shutdown heard around the world.

For me, 2020 began in joy. I was expecting the daughter I had always dreamed of. A little girl who I knew would carry my middle name, Conta, a name given to me by my aunt, who was more like a second mother. On Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 on a Zoom call with friends and family, I found out that I was having a girl, and we celebrated together virtually. My father suggested I give her the middle name of his own mother, and so she became Conta Eva Johnson.

But all that joy turned into heartbreak on April 17, 2020. My daughter was born sleeping at 22 weeks, taken from me by early preeclampsia. In that moment, my world was forever changed.

For years, I carried my grief alone, convinced it must have been my fault. I clung to the few photos I had of Conta, treasures too painful for others to look at but too sacred for me to let go. It wasn’t until much later that I began to understand my story was not mine to hide, it was mine to share. And in sharing, I found others who carried the same pain, families who had walked the same devastating path.

What I once thought was my private tragedy, I now know is a deeply underrecognized public health crisis.

In 2021, the Ohio Study of Associated Risks of Stillbirth (Ohio SOARS) reported 761 stillbirths in our state, an average of 6.2 fetal deaths per 1,000 live births. That number mirrors our state’s infant mortality rate, which was only slightly lower at 7.0 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The causes of stillbirth are not always clear, but we know many risk factors are well-documented:

• Medical conditions like diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.

• Lack of access to quality prenatal care, particularly in rural and marginalized communities. In fact, Ohio SOARS data reveals 16% of mothers who experienced stillbirth did not receive prenatal care during the first trimester.

• Pregnancy-related factors, such as carrying multiples, being pregnant for the first time, maternal age over 35, or complications like preeclampsia.

• Environmental and social determinants of health, including poverty, racism, and exposure to pollution, all of which shape the health outcomes of families before, during, and long after pregnancy.

  
  

Stillbirth is not rare. It is not invisible. It is a tragedy too many families endure in silence.

But through a strength I know could only come from God, I was able to stand alongside another mother who knew the same pain and share our stories at the Ohio Statehouse to speak in support of House Bill 4. I did not speak only as a policy associate for maternal and child health at Groundwork Ohio, but as a mother, one who wanted the world to know that while Conta Eva Johnson was born sleeping, she will live in my heart forever.

On that day, I spoke not just for myself but for countless mothers and fathers across Ohio.

This year, for the first time, we recognize September 19 as Stillbirth Prevention Day in Ohio. This day is not just a date on the calendar. It is a promise to honor the lives of special babies who left us too soon, and to raise awareness about how we can prevent future stillbirths.

I want to thank State Representatives Adam Holmes and Cecil Thomas, and the many legislative champions who co-sponsored the bill, as well as Governor Mike DeWine for signing it into law. I am especially grateful to Jennifer Bullock and her family, whose tireless advocacy and courage made this possible. Out of her own loss, Jennifer created Miles’ Mission, an organization dedicated to honoring her son Miles while serving families impacted by pregnancy and infant loss. Through Miles’ Mission, she works to expand access to medical and mental health support, uplift the role of faith-based communities in healing, and build connections across agencies, businesses, and families. Her work transforms grief into advocacy and ensures that every family walking this path knows they are not alone.

For every parent who has walked this road, Stillbirth Prevention Day is both a day of remembrance and a step toward change. My daughter’s life, though far too short, will always matter. And through this work, I hope that other families will never have to feel the loneliness, guilt, and silence that I once carried.

Conta’s story lives in me. And now, through Stillbirth Prevention Day, her story lives in Ohio too.