Fetal movements as an indicator of fetal wellbeing.

The value of maternal monitoring of fetal movements (FM) was assessed in 2250 pregnant women. Half of the women were taught to count FM methodically and contact the hospital if they felt less than 3 FM per hour. The controls were not given any specific instructions about counting FM. There were 8 intrauterine deaths in infants weighing more than 1500 g without major malformations in the control group and no deaths in the group with maternal monitoring of FM. These results demonstrate that maternal monitoring of FM can aid the opportune delivery of infants who are at increased risk of intrauterine death.