Fetal movement counting is associated with the reduction of delayed maternal reaction after perceiving decreased fetal movements: a prospective study

Maternal perception of decreased fetal movement is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. Although there have been several studies on interventions related to the fetal movements count, most focused on adverse perinatal outcomes, and little is known about the impact of the fetal movement count on maternal behavior after the perception of decreased fetal movement. We investigated the impact of the daily fetal movement count on maternal behavior after the perception of decreased fetal movement and on the stillbirth rate in this prospective population-based study. Pregnant women in Shiga prefecture of Japan were asked to count the time of 10 fetal movements from 34 weeks of gestation. We analyzed 101 stillbirths after the intervention compared to 121 stillbirths before the intervention. In multivariable analysis, maternal delayed visit to a health care provider after the perception of decreased fetal movement significantly reduced after the intervention (aOR 0.31, 95% CI 0.11–0.83). Our regional stillbirth rates in the pre-intervention and post-intervention periods were 3.06 and 2.70 per 1000 births, respectively. Informing pregnant women about the fetal movement count was associated with a reduction in delayed maternal reaction after the perception of decreased fetal movement, which might reduce stillbirths.