Prenatal attachment and its association with foetal movement during pregnancy - A population based survey

A total of 81 per cent of the eligible women completed the questionnaire. The overall sample of women found that the majority (96%) felt their baby move mostly in the evening. More than half of the respondents (55%) stated that they perceived frequent foetal movement on two occasions during a 24 h period, while almost a fifth (18%) never or only once reported frequent foetal movement in a 24 h period. Just over a quarter (26%) of respondents perceived frequent movement at least three times during a 24 h period. Perceiving frequent foetal movements on three or more occasions during a 24 h period, was associated with higher scores of prenatal attachment in all the three subscales. Key conclusion: Perceiving frequent foetal movements at least during three occasions per 24 h periods in late pregnancy was associated with prenatal attachment. Implications for practice: encouraging women to focus on foetal movements may positively affect prenatal attachment, especially among multiparous women >35 years.