Table 3 Summary of the comment analysis on free text responses
Description of how participants who responded “yes” to keeping track, kept track of fetal movements | Number of times used Cases n = 70 n (%)* | Number of times used Controls n = 229 n (%)* | Exemplar quotes |
Kick Counting | 39 (55.7) | 149 (65.1) | • I did kick counts every day at about 8 am and 7:30 pm (Case). • Kick counts in the morning or evening. Timed how long it took to get to 10 movements (Control). |
General awareness | 18 (25.7) | 53 (23.1) | • I just made mental note of it each day and I got use to her movements throughout the day and night (Case). • Kept a mental record of movements and discussed them with husband but did not write anything down (Control). |
‘Stimulating’ the baby Drinking and eating (water/juice/sugary), music | 10 (8.5) | 25 (10.9) | • I did not had any method to keep track of baby movement just sit after eating and listening music or drink something like that will make him move (Case). • Just made sure I remembered when I felt her move and if I felt her throughout the day. If I didn’t/couldn’t remember movement, I’d sit still and drink some juice to see if she would wake for me (Control). |
Used an i-device/app | 4 (5.7) | 24 (10.5) | • Baby kick app on iPhone (Case). • Kick counting app. Count ten kicks, records time between kicks and overall time to get to ten kicks (Control). |
Active baby/Constant movement | 5 (7.1) | 3 (1.3) | • I felt her move constantly (Case). • I never had to do kick counts because I felt my baby move so much (Control). |
Free text response to “Once you were aware of your baby’s usual pattern of movement, was there any time your baby’s movements were unusual?” | Number of times used Cases n = 75 n (%) | Number of times used Controls n = 118 n (%) | Exemplar quotes |
Slowing down | 42 (56) | 13 (11) | • In the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy, I noticed the movements did slow down (Case). • In the last month before losing the baby, I felt gradual reduced movement (Case). • Slowed down at end of pregnancy (Control). |
One or two quiet days | 0 (0) | 42 (35.6) | • One day I was not feeling well – baby moved less than normal. I went in for a non-stress test and all checked out fine (Control). • Only once and was checked by midwife (Control). |
Time of day (Night time, morning, evening) | 20 (26.6) (less active) | 14 (11.9) (more active) | • Sometimes he wouldn’t be as active as early in the morning (Case). • The baby had specific times when she was more active (9 pm through 1 am)(Control). |
Free text response to “During the last two weeks of this pregnancy, did the STRENGTH of your baby’s movements…” | Number of times used Cases n = 20 n (%) | Number of times used Controls n = 55 n (%) | Exemplar quotes |
Less strong | 8 (40) | 7 (12.7) | • Slow, weak movements (Case). • Less strong in last 4 days (Case). • Less frequent and less intensity (Control). |
Stronger/harder | 1 (5) | 22 (40) | • She was slower, but stronger (Case). • Her movements are gradually getting stronger (Control). • His kicks have gotten a little more power behind them recently (Control). |
Roll/ing | 4 (20) | 2 (3.6) | • More of a rolling rather than punching and kicking (Case). • She seemed to roll around more during the last week (Case). • Movements are more rolls and pushes now rather than kicks and punches (Control). |
Pressure/pushing/poking | 0 (0) | 5 (9) | • More pressure to his movements (Control). • I can feel more ‘poking’ as the baby flexes more (Control). • More pressure when poking feet/knees out (Control). • Less kicking, more pushing (Control). |
Free text response to “During the last two weeks of this pregnancy, did the FREQUENCY of your baby’s movements....” | Number of times used Cases n = 23 n (%)* | Number of times used Controls n = 38 n (%)* | Exemplar quotes |
Decrease | 18 (78) | 11 (28.9) | • Noticeable decrease in movements (Case). • Slightly fewer movements at 40 weeks (Control). |
More/increased | 0 (0) | 10 (26.3) | • Lots of movement 1 and 2 days prior to birth (Control). • I am feeling her more due to her size (Control). • Able to feel the kicks more often, probably because they are stronger (Control). |
Very Active | 0 (0) | 3 (7.9) | • Very active baby facing out so I’d get lots of kicks (Control). |
Free text response to “During the last two weeks of this pregnancy, did you notice any time that your baby was more vigorous than usual?” | Number of times used Cases n = 31 n (%) | Number of times used Controls n = 74 n (%) | Exemplar quotes |
Crazy/wild | 15 (48) | 1 (1.35) | • There were a few times that I mentioned to my husband how “wild and active” our baby was. I thought he was going to jump out a couple of times (Case). • The evening of the very last night he was totally crazy active. I was reassured because I thought he had been slow and sluggish for the last couple of weeks (Case). • Felt almost like she was having a seizure (Case). |
Vigorous at night | 14 (45.2) (Noticeably vigorous night before death) | 25 (33.8) (Normally vigorous at night) | • Always very active, last night before she passed she was extremely active (Case). • The last night I felt him move, he was moving lots!!! More than usual. Then nothing more (Case). • His movements tend to be stronger at the end of the day when I relax on the couch around 8 pm (Control). The baby always seems to become most active when I lay down at night for bed (Control). |
More powerful/strong/aggressive | 0 (0) | 11 (14.9) | • More powerful movements (Control). • When I was in the bath one night the movements were very strong and very low. It was quite an unusual feeling (Control). • When I sit in certain positions, she became more vigorous (Control). • A friend was feeling him move and he got really aggressive, the strongest movement I have felt him have but it was just once (Control). |