Effect of nursing intervention program using abdominal palpation of Leopold’s maneuvers on maternal-fetal attachment

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate whether a nursing intervention program using abdominal palpation would improve maternal-fetal relationships of pregnant women. METHODS The subjects were Japanese women aged less than 40 years with singleton pregnancies. A nursing intervention involving abdominal palpations of Leopold's Maneuvers was performed for the intervention group (n = 35) in the 30th, 32nd, and 34th weeks' gestation, while ordinary health-related advice was provided to the control group (n = 73) in the corresponding period. RESULTS At the 30th (baseline) week, no intergroup differences were observed. However, the intervention group showed higher Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) scores in the 34th (P < 0.01) and 36th weeks (P < 0.05) as well as a higher frequency of talking to the fetus in the 32nd (P < 0.01), 34th (P < 0.01), and 36th weeks (P < 0.05). Furthermore, Fetal position awareness score in the 32nd, the 34th, and the 36th weeks were higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The present findings have suggested that nursing interventions involving abdominal palpations can develop the maternal-fetal relationship. Further random controlled trials are warranted to ascertain this observation.