Fetal activity following stimulation of the mother's abdomen, feet, and hands

Diego, Miguel; Dieter, John N.I.; Field, Tiffany; Lecanuet, Jean Pierre; Hernandez‐Reif, Maria; Beutler, Julia; Largie, Shay; Redzepi, Mercedes; Salman, Fawwaz A.

doi:10.1002/dev.10071

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…Additionally, a significant decrease was found in STAI scores while a significant increase occurred in overall fetal movements after foot massage. In general, both studies demonstrated a reduction in maternal anxiety although the present study did not show the significant effect of foot reflexology on fetal movements (34).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

The Effect of Short-term Foot Reflexology in Improving Constipation Symptoms During Pregnancy: A TwoArmed, Randomized Controlled Trial

Sehhatti

Hughes

Mirghafourvand

et al. 2019

International Journal of Women’s Health and Reproduction Scienc

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Objectives: Reflexology is a popular type of complementary medicine in medical practices, especially in midwifery fields. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine the effect of foot reflexology on idiopathic constipation symptoms, as well as anxiety and fetal activity during pregnancy. This study was conducted on seventy-four nulliparous women with constipation, referring to private and public health care centers in Tabriz-Iran, between 2017 and 2018. The participants were then randomly assigned to foot reflexology or control groups. The intervention group underwent 12 minutes of weekly foot reflexology treatment for 6 weeks. Constipation symptoms were measured at baseline and 6 times (weekly) after the intervention by the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS). In addition, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire was used to measure the participant’s anxiety at baseline and 6 weeks after the completion of the study. Finally, fetal movements were measured at baseline and 6 times (weekly) after the intervention using a kick chart. Results: Based on the results, 97% of women reported improvement in their CAS measures at the end of six weeks following reflexology. The mean scores of STAI at the end of the intervention were 38.5 and 42.2 (State anxiety), as well as 39.1 and 40.2 (Trait anxiety) in the reflexology and control groups, respectively. Statistically significant differences in fetal movements between the two groups were only observed in the fourth (P=0.001) and fifth weeks (P=0.007) after intervention sessions. The results further indicated that about 67% of mothers were satisfied with reflexology intervention for improvement in their constipation symptoms. Eventually, no harmful side events were reported among women. Conclusions: Short-term foot reflexology in this context may have potential healing benefits in improving constipation and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. However, further investigation for antenatal reflexology is necessary.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

The Effect of Short-term Foot Reflexology in Improving Constipation Symptoms During Pregnancy: A TwoArmed, Randomized Controlled Trial

Sehhatti

Hughes

Mirghafourvand

et al. 2019

International Journal of Women’s Health and Reproduction Scienc

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“…Inter-rater reliability, calculated on one-third of the sample for two observers, yielded the following Kappa values: isolated fetal arm movements 9 = 0.87, isolated fetal leg movements = 0.86, fetal trunk movement = 1.0. Our method was, therefore, found to be valuable (32). Then, we calculated as the mean values for each of the 5 min periods (neutral, happy or sad, and next neutral).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal response to induced maternal emotions

Araki

Nishitani

Ushimaru³

et al. 2010

J Physiol Sci

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This study investigated the relationship between fetal movements and acute maternal emotional changes during pregnancy. Two empirically validated feature film clips were used for the external generation of two subjectively and facially well-characterized target emotions: happiness and sadness. We simultaneously monitored separate fetal arm, leg and trunk movements by means 2 of two ultrasound apparatuses while maternal emotions were manipulated by film clip presentation. The number of fetal arm movements, but not the duration, was increased when pregnant women were being shown a happy film. Both the number and the duration of fetal arm movements decreased with the sad film presentation. Neither the presentation of happiness nor the presentation of sadness affected fetal leg or trunk movements. These findings suggest that induced emotions in pregnant women primarily affect arm movements of their fetuses, and that positive and negative emotions have the opposite effects on fetus movement.

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“…It is not clear why hand massage was used when the hand is so distal from the liver. However, other distal massages like foot massage have even affected fetuses [36].…”

Section: Pain Is Reduced By Massage Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But both types of massage involved the stimulation of pressure receptors, so it is not surprising that they both increased body temperature and they were equivalent on their positive effects on sleep and autonomic responses. The pain relief effects may have related to the increased serotonin (pain-relieving transmitter) levels that are typically noted after massage therapy [36]. In the other randomized controlled study "High force versus low force" massage (moderate versus low pressure massage) were compared for their effects on low back pain (N=56 females) [44].…”

Section: Pain Is Reduced By Massage Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

Massage Therapy Research: A Narrative Review

Field,

2024

Curr Res Psychol Behav Sc

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This narrative review on the massage therapy literature from the years 2020 to 2023 includes 49 studies. Many of these are focused on massage reducing prenatal depression and anxiety, increasing brain maturation in preterm neonates and on reducing jaundice in full-term newborns. Pediatric massage research has been focused on cerebral palsy and adult research on arthritis pain. Studies on older adults include the reduction of anxiety and depression in victims of stroke, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Other studies found positive effects of self-massage as well as couples’ massage that suggests that both the massager and “massagee” experience reduced stress. Surprisingly, most of the entries in the literature have been proposed protocols for studies and only one has involved potential underlying mechanisms for the positive effects of massage therapy.

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Fetal activity following stimulation of the mother's abdomen, feet, and hands

Cited by 14 publications

References 28 publications

The Effect of Short-term Foot Reflexology in Improving Constipation Symptoms During Pregnancy: A TwoArmed, Randomized Controlled Trial

The Effect of Short-term Foot Reflexology in Improving Constipation Symptoms During Pregnancy: A TwoArmed, Randomized Controlled Trial

Fetal response to induced maternal emotions

Massage Therapy Research: A Narrative Review

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