Piloting of a Novel Fetal Movement Score

This research program aims to develop and test a novel method of fetal movement awareness for prevention of stillbirth. This method, the Bradford Score is based on my 10+ years of research in maternal perception of fetal movements and stillbirth prevention.
Awareness of fetal movements is promoted in Australia and around the world as a strategy to reduce stillbirths. However, randomized controlled trials have yet to demonstrate an effective fetal movement awareness method.
My fetal movement score aims to address the limitations of existing methods. This approach involves pregnant women rating a set of fetal movement features, each evening, to generate a numeric score. By aligning fetal movement evaluation with the physiological peak of fetal activity, in the evening, convenience and therefore acceptability will be maximised.
The fetal movement features included in my score are those known to be associated with stillbirth, such as strength, frequency, and hiccups.