Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani and Nicole Kidman each own a kickTrak. But it’s no celebrity workout fad — it’s a portable fetal movement monitor.
Counting kicks and other fetal movements gives expectant parents a constructive way to channel anxiety into action — and has been proven to reveal otherwise undetected problems such as growth-restricted fetuses that without intervention can lead to stillbirth. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, one out of every 160 pregnancies in the U.S. ends in stillbirth — the birth of an infant who has died in the womb.
Fetal movement tracking is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Studies support its value — a kick-counting campaign helped cut Oslo, Norway’s stillbirth rate in half. So why aren’t mothers-to-be taking this simple, potentially lifesaving measure?
To answer that question, Dr. Diep Nguyen polled doctors and patients. The former feared stirring anxieties — and the latter wanted an easy way to track movements.
The Los Angeles-based obstetrician worked with colleagues to develop simpler charts and kickTrak, a new digital alternative to pen-and-paper recordkeeping.
How does kick-counting work? Starting at 28 weeks, or 24 weeks for higher-risk pregnancies, the mother-to-be tallies the kicks, jabs, turns and other voluntary movements (as opposed to hiccups) once daily. The same time period should be used; typically the evening when fetuses are most active.
Using kickTrak, you’d press a button each time the fetus moves. The pocket-size device measures intervals to detect whether there are at least 10 movements in 2 hours, the minimum number estimated for a healthy fetus.
The device stores the 10 most recent kick-counting sessions so users can learn movement patterns. A decrease in movements should be reported to the physician immediately.
The $39.95 kickTrak offers user-friendly incentives, such as a due-date countdown, digital readouts and music cues that get gadget-loving spouses involved.
Stillbirth is probably among “the least talked-about complications of pregnancies,” Nguyen said. “But it’s a risk that patients can do something to reduce.”
More information
Kick count resources:
– BabyKick.com
877-422-2954
kickTrak and research
– FirstCandle.org
1-800-221-7437
(410-653-8226)
Coalition providing infant health/survival information and support
– BabyKickAlliance.org
Free downloadable kick count chart and bilingual info
Fetal movement — A vital sign
“Decreased fetal movement represents a high-risk condition,” wrote Dr. Ruth Fretts in the September 2007 issue of FORUM. Fretts, chair of the Stillbirth Review Committee at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, called kick counting an “area of prevention that has not previously been emphasized.” A 2006 study of nearly 500 patients indicated that the rate of stillbirth for pregnancies complicated with decreased fetal movement was fourfold above the general population. Half of the women waited two days or more before reporting to their provider the decreased fetal movement.
While a variety of medical conditions and environmental factors can complicate pregnancies, from 25 to 60 percent of fetal deaths go unexplained. Vigilance during pregnancy helps reduce risk of prenatal death by allowing earlier intervention.
