Why do we need this research?
Currently, babies in the womb have their heart rate checked occasionally to see if everything is ok – usually at each antenatal appointment from 18 weeks onwards. However, these tests only give us a brief snapshot of the baby’s health and may not always detect when a baby is struggling. To reduce the number of families experiencing the pain of stillbirth, we need to develop better ways of monitoring a baby’s heartbeat and movements over time.
The FeHeMo vest
Tommy’s researchers have developed a special device to monitor the health of babies over long periods of time, called the Fetal Heart and Movement (FeHeMo) vest. This fabric vest, which is designed to be worn by pregnant women and birthing people for at least 12 hours, has sensors that listen to both the baby’s and the mother’s heartbeats, as well as monitoring the baby’s movements. Unlike other sensors, the ones in the FeHeMo vest do not need to be stuck to the skin in order to work.
What’s happening in this project?
The aim of this project is to improve the FeHeMo vest and to test it in pregnant women. By making changes to the sensors included in the vest, the team have managed to increase the amount of information that can be obtained from monitoring the baby’s heartbeat and movements, and have also reduced background noise. Our researchers are now ready to ask pregnant women to wear the FeHeMo vest as part of a clinical trial that will test whether it can accurately record the mother’s heartbeat, as well as the baby’s heartbeat and movements. They will also be testing to see how well the vest performs compared to the existing methods that are used to monitor heartbeats and movements.
As well as this work, our researchers have been asking women and healthcare professionals to take part in focus groups so that they can share their thoughts about long-term monitoring of babies in the womb. From these discussions, our team have identified several key concerns that need to be considered when developing new continuous monitoring devices like the FeHeMo vest.
What difference will this project make?
The development of this wearable device should make it possible to monitor a baby’s wellbeing over a long period of time, helping healthcare providers recognise when a baby is struggling in the womb. Ultimately, this may give doctors an earlier opportunity to intervene, which could reduce the chances of stillbirth.
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