Counting baby kicks is no longer the best way to check for problems with a pregnancy, experts warn today.
Charts for pregnant women to record kicks in the womb have been used since the 1970s, and are still used in some countries. At least ten kicks in 12 hours is thought to be safe; if there are fewer the woman is advised to seek medical help.
But Dr Julia Unterscheider of Cork University, Ireland, and colleagues have published a paper recommending that foetal kick charts are no longer used.
In The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, they write that about 15 per cent of women feel reduced movement during their pregnancy. Their babies are more likely to be small-for-gestational-age or have severe growth restriction.
However, foetal kick charts may not be accurate, they believe, as women are "relying on unreliable perceptions which may result in under or over counting".
Instead, obstetricians should identify "at-risk" women using a standard assessment including the mother’s medical history, alcohol consumption and smoking, the authors suggest. Ultrasound scanning and cardiotocography could be carried out when necessary.
Dr Unterscheider said: "Unnecessary investigation in an otherwise healthy pregnancy can lead to increased intervention such as caesarean delivery. Kick-charts, which are in use in many maternity units worldwide, are of no benefit to reducing poor outcomes in low-risk pregnant women. A mother’s subjective perception of diminished movements is a better predictor of problems."
Cathy Warwick of the UK’s Royal College of Midwives commented: "Use of these kick charts has now been superseded by more advanced medical technology. This is why it is so important that midwives receive funding for continuous professional development."
Unterscheider, J. et al. Reduced fetal movements. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Vol. 11, Issue 4, October 2009, pp. 245-51.
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