Effect of Foetal Movement Counting on Prenatal Attachment and Maternal Worries among Primigravidas- A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnant woman experience various physical, emotional, and hormonal changes that may cause anxiety. The anxiety and worries can be decreased by sharing information about the developing child, like foetal body movement. Aim: To assess effect of Foetal Movement Counting (FMC) on prenatal attachment and maternal worries among primigravida mothers. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study was carried out among primigravida mothers of selected Hospitals of Central Gujarat using proforma of Cranley’s maternal foetal attachment scale and Cambridge worry scale. The study was conducted from March 2019 to July 2020. Eighty participants were recruited by convenient sampling 40 in each study group and control group. The study group were provided with foetal movement chart and the participants were asked to record foetal movements for seven consecutive days, twice a day for 20 minutes. Post assessment of prenatal attachment and maternal worries was done using tools of data collection for both study and control group. Chi- square test was used to test the significance (p-value <0.05). Results: The study results revealed that in study group mean score for prenatal attachment was 79.43 at the start and improved to 101.25 (p-value <0.001) after seven days of FMC. In control group, the mean score for prenatal attachment did not show significant difference pre-test and post-test (74.20 vs 74.85, p-value=0.077). In study group, the mean Cambridge worry scale score was 36.55 which came down to 20.28 (p-value <0.001) after seven days, while in control group it was 41.38 at the beginning and 41.30 after seven days (p-value=0.998). Conclusion: Foetal Movement Counting was found to improve maternal foetal attachment and reduce maternal worries. FMC can be routinely and effectively promoted among the pregnant population to help them achieve a positive pregnancy experience and outcome.