Fetal Well Being : The Kick Count Method

Background: The Northern NJ Maternal/Child Health Consortium (NNJM/CHC) is a non-profit organization with the mission to improve the health of children, women and families. The NNJM/CHC developed an educational tool focusing on fetal well being: The Kick Count Method DVD. As a result of case reviews in the Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) program, it was determined that there was a need to inform women of the importance of fetal activity and it's relation to positive pregnancy outcomes. Methodology: At the suggestion of the FIMR committees, the Kick Count Method DVD project was specifically designed with the goal of increasing fetal activity awareness among pregnant women and women planning pregnancy. The DVD was created in collaboration with a local Multimedia Production Studio, Profile Video, LLC. Physicians, midwifes, nurses and other members of our FIMR committees, as well as clients of our programs participated in the DVD after signing a public media consent form. The evaluation pilot project enrolled four sample groups of pregnant women from different NNJM/CHC programs. A pre-test survey is administered before conducting education using the Kick Count Method DVD with all pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks gestation. A post-test survey is conducted after the intervention with all pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks gestation to collect feedback on the DVD usage and satisfaction. Results: All the pre and post test surveys are being collected and analyzed. Data is reported to the FIMR committees for review & recommendations. Results are presented to meetings and conferences. Conclusion: All the pregnant women enrolled in the NNJM/CHC's programs receive education by using the Kick Count Method DVD and increase their awareness of the importance of fetal activity and it's relation to positive pregnancy outcomes.