For a mother, especially in an advanced state of pregnancy, what worries her the most is her baby’s movement. Sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not. So, how does she know if the baby is okay?

When women come with complaints of no foetal movement doctors suspect two things: it is sleeping or is suffering from hypoxia. To check the status of the foetus, doctors then widely use scan or the vibro-acoustic stimulator. But radiologist M.F. Davis, based in the United Arab Emirates, feels that there should be a better, non-invasive method that does not startle a sleeping baby into wakefulness.

“As an amateur musician I [have often] wondered whether we could use non-invasive stimulus… if music could be played directly to the unborn. In neonatal, intensive care units, music is played to soothe agitated infants. We know from studies that low-birth-weight babies that are comforted by their mother’s voice gain weight. I wanted a diagnostic tool and Dr. Maruthy came up with one,” says Dr. Davis, who conceptualised the diagnostic apparatus.....................Read more

Source: The Hindu