Counting kicks does not do what you were told
Two large trials. Neither found what everyone expected.
Awareness of the baby's movements is universally taught, and formal kick-counting programmes are widely promoted as a way to prevent stillbirth. They have been tested.
The AFFIRM trial covered 409,175 pregnancies across 33 hospitals. Stillbirth was 4.40 per 1,000 births before the movement-awareness package and 4.06 per 1,000 after, an adjusted odds ratio of 0.90 that was not statistically significant. The authors' conclusion: the care package did not reduce the risk of stillbirth, and the benefits of promoting awareness remain unproven.
The Mindfetalness trial randomized 39,865 Swedish women. Its primary outcome, a low Apgar score, was identical at 1.1% in both groups. Women in the intervention group contacted healthcare about reduced movements far more often, 6.6% against 3.8%.