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Prenatal attachment and its association with foetal movement during pregnancy: a population based survey
Dalarna University, School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Caring Science/Nursing. Uppsala universitet.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7385-5649
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2016 (English)In: Women and Birth, ISSN 1871-5192, E-ISSN 1878-1799, Vol. 29, no 6, p. 482-486Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the magnitude of foetal movements and level of prenatal attachment within a 24h period among women in the third trimester of pregnancy.

DESIGN: a prospective population-based survey.

SETTING: A county in central Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS: Low risk pregnant women from 34 to 42 weeks gestation, N=456, 299 multiparous and 157 primiparous women.

MEASUREMENTS: The revised version of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI-R) and assessment of the perception of foetal movements per 24h in the current gestational week.

FINDINGS: A total of 81 per cent of the eligible women completed the questionnaire. The overall sample of women found that the majority (96%) felt their baby move mostly in the evening. More than half of the respondents (55%) stated that they perceived frequent foetal movement on two occasions during a 24h period, while almost a fifth (18%) never or only once reported frequent foetal movement in a 24h period. Just over a quarter (26%) of respondents perceived frequent movement at least three times during a 24h period. Perceiving frequent foetal movements on three or more occasions during a 24h period, was associated with higher scores of prenatal attachment in all the three subscales.

KEY CONCLUSION: Perceiving frequent foetal movements at least during three occasions per 24h periods in late pregnancy was associated with prenatal attachment.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: encouraging women to focus on foetal movements may positively affect prenatal attachment, especially among multiparous women >35 years.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2016. Vol. 29, no 6, p. 482-486
Keywords [en]
Foetal movements; Midwifery; PAI-R; Pregnancy; Prenatal attachment
National Category
Health Sciences
Research subject
Research Profiles 2009-2020, Health and Welfare
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:du-21426DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2016.04.005ISI: 000393092900009PubMedID: 27140328Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84975718049OAI: oai:DiVA.org:du-21426DiVA, id: diva2:926596
Available from: 2016-05-09 Created: 2016-05-09 Last updated: 2021-11-12Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Fetal Movements in late Pregnancy: Categorization, Self-assessment, and Prenatal Attachment in relation to women’s experiences
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Fetal Movements in late Pregnancy: Categorization, Self-assessment, and Prenatal Attachment in relation to women’s experiences
2016 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Aim: To explore how pregnant women experience fetal movements in late pregnancy. Specific aims were:  to study women’s experiences during the time prior to receiving news that their unborn baby had died in utero (I), to investigate women’s descriptions of fetal movements (II), investigate the association between the magnitude of fetal movements and level of prenatal attachment (III), and to study women’s experiences using two different self-assessment methods (IV).

Methods: Interviews, questionnaires, and observations were used.

Results: Premonition that something had happened to their unborn baby, based on a lack of fetal movements, was experienced by the participants. The overall theme “something is wrong” describes the women’s insight that the baby’s life was threatened (I). Fetal movements that were sorted into the domain “powerful movements” were perceived in late pregnancy by 96 % of the participants (II). Perceiving frequent fetal movements on at least three occasions per 24 hours was associated with higher scores of prenatal attachment in all the three subscales on PAI-R. The majority (55%) of the 456 participants reported average occasions of frequent fetal movements, 26% several occasions and 18% reported few occasions of frequent fetal movements, during the current gestational week.  (III). Only one of the 40 participants did not find at least one method for monitoring fetal movements suitable. Fifteen of the 39 participants reported a preference for the mindfetalness method and five for the count-to-ten method. The women described the observation of the movements as a safe and reassuring moment for communication with their unborn baby (IV).

Conclusion:  In full-term and uncomplicated pregnancies, women usually perceive fetal movements as powerful. Furthermore, women in late pregnancy who reported frequent fetal movements on several occasions during a 24-hour period seem to have a high level of prenatal attachment. Women who used self-assessment methods for monitoring fetal movements felt calm and relaxed when observing the movements of their babies. They had a high compliance for both self-assessment methods. Women that had experienced a stillbirth in late pregnancy described that they had a premonition before they were told that their baby had died in utero. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2016. p. 73
Series
Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine, ISSN 1651-6206 ; 1171
Keywords
Fetal movements, pregnancy, prenatal attachment, self-assessment, stillbirth
National Category
Health Sciences
Research subject
Research Profiles 2009-2020, Health and Welfare
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-22713 (URN)978-91-554-9446-9 (ISBN)
Public defence
2016-02-25, Föreläsningssal 6, Högskolegatan 2, Falun, 13:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2016-08-18 Created: 2016-08-18 Last updated: 2021-11-12Bibliographically approved

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