A new Sands report published today describes welcome progress in work to improve information and guidance about babies' movements in pregnancy.
Raising awareness of reduced babies’ (fetal) movements is an important part of work to reduce stillbirth in the UK.
At Sands, bereaved parents have described feeling anxious and confused because of the ‘vague’ and sometimes conflicting information they received about movements in their pregnancies.
By reviewing the evidence and listening to bereaved parents, healthcare staff, researchers and other charities, we were able to understand what is working well in conversations about babies’ movements and what needs to improve.
The new report describes progress across 8 priority areas:
- Developing a national triage policy, including a fetal movement element
- Integrating existing evidence into clinical guidelines
- Developing clear, consistent, detailed information in multiple formats
- Offering training for healthcare professionals, including around communication
- Developing the evidence base around placental factors and identifying babies most at risk
- Developing wearable devices and trackers for remote care
- Developing digital communication on all aspects of fetal movement information.
- Developing guidance on what information and advice should be included in the fetal movement care encounter.
At Sands we believe that change happens when you listen deeply to lived experience, and use those experiences, with evidence and research to challenge practice, and turn grief into action.
Clea Harmer, Chief Executive, Sands
Read the report to find out more
Recent improvements to conversations about babies' movements in pregnancy
Over the last year, we have seen real improvements thanks to focused, effective collaboration among families and stakeholders with a shared aim: to make sure all UK families get clear, consistent and detailed information and guidance about babies’ movements in pregnancy, in a way that works for them.
In maternity care we have seen:
- Updates to guidelines for reduced fetal movements
- A review and update of information about babies’ movements for families
- New specifications for maternity triage, which will support improved access and more consistent care for families with concerns or questions about their babies’ movements in pregnancy
Why improving conversations about babies' movements is important
Raising awareness of babies' movements in pregnancy is an important part of work to reduce baby loss in the UK. Sometimes, a baby who moves less is not getting enough oxygen. A small number of babies who move less are stillborn. So it is important that a mother or birthing person gets checked straight away if they think:
- their baby is moving less than normal
- movements feel weaker than normal
- movements have stopped
Before we started this work, bereaved parents at Sands had told us that the information and advice they received about movements had left them feeling anxious and confused. Some said they had not known about the risks linked to reduced movements or when to get help. In research, non-bereaved parents describe similar experiences.
How Sands has been working to improve conversations about babies’ movements
In 2024, the baby loss charity Teddy’s Wish generously offered the Sands Saving Babies’ Lives research team some funding to launch a project focused on improving information and advice about babies’ movements in pregnancy.
This project was an opportunity to look more closely at these known challenges and bring together bereaved parents with experts in this field to identify solutions and drive improvements collaboratively for greater and more rapid impact.
Working with Dr Tomasina Stacey from King’s College London, we heard from bereaved and non-bereaved parents about their experiences of discussing babies’ movements during pregnancy. We also asked maternity staff what they thought was working well and what needed to change. At a stakeholder event, we brought together bereaved parents and professional stakeholders to discuss learning and make a plan for change.
Supporting this project with Sands was important because better conversations about babies' movements in pregnancy can help parents feel informed, empowered and confident to seek help when something doesn't feel right. We're proud to support research that can improve care and help prevent future baby loss.
Jen Reid Co-Founder and CEO, Teddy's Wish
You can learn more about why Sands has been working to improve information and guidance about babies’ movements in pregnancy in a blog written by Dr Julia Clark, Research Officer at Sands.