Fetal and neonatal hand movement

Fetal movement occurs early in human gestation and can be observed by ultrasound imaging. This was a descriptive study of fetal hand movements from 14 weeks of gestation to postnatal day 1. The purpose of the study was to identify specific hand movements and their developmental trends in order to better understand low-risk human development.

Twenty-one women with low-risk pregnancies were identified from a university obstetrics clinic. Their fetuses or neonates were the focus of this study.

Ultrasound imaging was used at 14, 20, 26, 32, and 37 weeks of gestation, and videotaping was used at 1 day after birth. Between 12 and 16 minutes of usable imaging was obtained at each fetal age, and 24 minutes of videotape was collected neonatally. The duration and frequency of 7 hand movements were determined and reliably scored. Nonparametric analyses were used.

Fetal and neonatal movements did not appear to be random, and they appeared to be directed or aimed at specific targets. Fetal movement was variable throughout gestation. Differences occurred between fetal and neonatal data. Durations of certain hand movements provided data that exhibited some developmental trends, such as decreasing linear trends and regression-type U curves. Fetal movements to or at the head and face and the observations scored at 32 weeks of gestation were the best predictors of neonatal movement.

Results suggest the potential for fetal movement to be observed and scored reliably, with scores used to further our understanding of the development of human movement.