Development of a Sensor-Based Wearable Fetal and Maternal Health Monitoring System

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 360,000 pregnant women are registered annually in Sri Lanka. Among these, about 328,000 babies are born healthy, while 5,800 are born with birth defects, some of which are severe and impact daily life. To address the Sri Lankan stillbirth rate of 6.01%, continuous monitoring of fetal and maternal health is essential. Although commercial devices exist to fulfill this requirement, their high costs and safety issues often preclude regular use. To overcome these challenges, there is a need for a passive, wearable, and portable monitoring system for fetal and maternal health. This system should track key parameters such as fetal heart rate, fetal movements, and maternal heart rate to mitigate health risks for both the fetus and the mother. In this study, we developed a device using the Arduino, appropriate sensors, and a microcontroller to monitor these vital parameters. The device is user-friendly and suitable for regular use. MATLAB was utilized for the signal processing requirements of the proposed device. Test results demonstrated that fetal movement detection was accurate, although potential errors may arise during real-time testing. For pulse sensor readings, an average percentage difference of 3.025% was observed compared to pulse oximeter readings, likely due to placement errors and sensor instability in the proposed device.