By Andrew Liszewski
I understand that having your first child can be a stressful time for a new mother, and I’m not exactly thrilled when companies take advantage of that by selling them some pointless gadget that’s supposed to bring some peace of mind. Case in point, the kickTrak from Baby Kick.
The most obvious feature of the kickTrak is the ability to automatically count your baby’s kicks starting at 24 weeks, supposedly providing a reliable way to track its movement pattern, and reduce the risk of stillbirth. It can also be used at the onset of pregnancy as a sort of countdown timer for your predicted due date, or as an easy way to time your contractions when labor begins. While I’m sure the risk of stillbirth is a real concern, I don’t see how holding this to your stomach for hours at a time is the easiest way to track how much your baby is moving. I’m sure if I had something living inside me I’d be quite aware of whenever it made even the slightest move.
The kickTrak is available on the Baby Kick website for $39.95.
[ Baby Kick kickTrak ] VIA [ Medgadget ]
Never being an expectant mother, I’m of course skeptical about the necessity for a device like the kickTrak. However that’s just my opinion, and I’m including further information below that Baby Kick has sent me for those interested in it.
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Thank you for addressing KickTrak recently on your blog. I can understand your initial skepticism about the product as there is some information about kick counting that most people do not know without doing some research. Dr. Diep Nguyen, a board-certified and practicing OB/GYN, created kickTrak because she wanted to make it easier for expecting moms to monitor fetal movement. It simply aids moms in counting the number of kicks, jabs, rolls and turns and monitors the time duration in between each movement. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that expectant mothers note the time it takes for their baby to complete ten movements, at approximately the same time each day when the baby is usually most active. In general, healthy babies should complete ten movements within two hours and most babies achieve ten movements in less than 15 minutes. Moms should alert their healthcare provider immediately if the baby’s normal pattern changes or if the baby takes more than two hours to complete ten movements as decreased fetal movement can indicate increased risk of complications.
Moms use kickTrak by pressing a button each time they feel the baby move during a kick counting session (once daily, as recommended by ACOG). It does not automatically detect each movement, but offers moms an easier way to track their babies’ movement instead of manually recording it using a pen and paper. Dr. Nguyen advocates counting kicks no matter if moms choose to use kickTrak to do it or not. Before she created kickTrak, Dr. Nguyen founded the BabyKick Alliance, a nonprofit organization that offers free kick counting charts and educates parents and healthcare providers about the importance of kick counting.
Public health advocacy groups in Miami and New Jersey have both found the monitoring of fetal movements to be a safe, easy and effective way to reduce infant mortality rates. While manually noting and charting kick counting is an option (and one that many mom-to-be use), kickTrak is a simple and effective way to help track these movements.
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Wow this is a cool gadget, counting kicks inside the wombs mother, where to buy this? Is this available in the pharmacy? I will take a look, how about the cost?
Wow this is a cool gadget, counting kicks inside the wombs mother, where to buy this? Is this available in the pharmacy? I will take a look…
I wish to wish all pregnant women of good mood, easy pregnancy and natural sorts!
Good luck also are happy! Give birth easily and independently! Let not doctors give birth for you, and you!
Also adjust itself on chest feeding of the kid! Read the necessary information!
Be, lovely pregnant mums and expecting posterities of the daddy, are healthy and wise!
I wish to wish all pregnant women of good mood, easy pregnancy and natural sorts!
Good luck also are happy! Give birth easily and independently! Let not doctors give birth for you, and you!
Also adjust itself on chest feeding of the kid! Read the necessary information!
Be, lovely pregnant mums and expecting posterities of the daddy, are healthy and wise!
Every 21 minutes there is a stillbirth in the US, which is 10x more than SIDS. Some mothers think that because the baby moved once or twice a day that is ok and that baby is healthy. But that is not correct. If you baby doesnt complete 10 movements within 30 minutes (at the same time every day) then the pregnancy could be in distress. I know because I lost my first child to stillbirth. I thought that him moving a few times a day was ok and since he was getting bigger that there was less room for him to move (STUPID ME!)…but my doctor told me that this was NOT true…he needed to move more! I He had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and I didnt even know!!! got a Kicktrak with my second pregnancy and it helped me a great deal. It was more accurate than pen and paper and I could take it to my Dr when I had an appt.
I wish the creators of this product would read this, because they changed my life!!!
To read more about the Kicktrak and what all the fuzz is about, go their site and see for yourself http://www.kicktrak.com
Indeed it is, never came across such thing before, I would like to buy it!
Amber
kickTrak simplifies kick counting to potentially reduce the risk of stillbirth. Visualization of changes in your baby's movement pattern helps you promptly alert your doctor of possible problems and allows early intervention.
Starting at 24 weeks, use kickTrak to record and store the time it takes for your baby to complete 10 movements including kicks, rolls, jabs, and turns– once a day, at the same time, when your baby is usually most active.
# Helps decrease the risk of stillbirth
# Every 21 minutes a baby is stillborn in the US; 70 babies each day
# Stillbirth may be avoided by counting your baby’s kicks and movements
# Counting kicks and movements is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to monitor your baby’s health
# Makes keeping track of kicks and movement easy and convenient
# Memory stores last 10 sessions so you and your doctor can easily monitor your baby’s movement patterns
# Counts down the last 99 days of your pregnancy
# Tracks how far along you are in your pregnancy
kickTrak simplifies kick counting to potentially reduce the risk of stillbirth. Visualization of changes in your baby's movement pattern helps you promptly alert your doctor of possible problems and allows early intervention.
Starting at 24 weeks, use kickTrak to record and store the time it takes for your baby to complete 10 movements including kicks, rolls, jabs, and turns– once a day, at the same time, when your baby is usually most active.
# Helps decrease the risk of stillbirth
# Every 21 minutes a baby is stillborn in the US; 70 babies each day
# Stillbirth may be avoided by counting your baby’s kicks and movements
# Counting kicks and movements is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to monitor your baby’s health
# Makes keeping track of kicks and movement easy and convenient
# Memory stores last 10 sessions so you and your doctor can easily monitor your baby’s movement patterns
# Counts down the last 99 days of your pregnancy
# Tracks how far along you are in your pregnancy