Your Doctor willcheck on how your baby is coping during your labour. There are different ways to do this.
If you have had a normal, healthy pregnancy with no problems so far, the doctor will listen to your baby's heartbeat using a Sonicaid. This is the small, hand-held machine the doctor or doctor uses to listen to the baby during your pregnancy.
Electronic monitoring involves strapping two plastic pads to your bump. These are attached to a monitor that shows your baby's heartbeat and your contractions. A lot of hospital units now have wireless monitors. These are often waterproof so are suitable if you’re having a waterbirth.
You don’t need electronic monitoring if labour is going well, although you can ask for it if you want to. Your doctor or doctor will suggest EFM if:
It is your choice whether you have EFM or not. If you are advised to have it, your doctor will explain why it’s needed and what it may show. If you’re having a home birth, you’ll be transferred to hospital. Once electronic monitoring is started, your doctor will:
You should also be kept fully informed about what is happening at every stage of electronic fetal monitoring.
If your doctor or doctor has started because they are concerned about your baby's heartbeat but it is found to be normal, the monitor should be taken off after 20 minutes. You can ask to keep it on if you want to.
If the EFM shows that there may be a problem, your doctor may suggest that you have a fetal scalp stimulation. This is a vaginal examination in which your healthcare
professional will rub your baby’s head with their finger. This may make your baby’s heartbeat speed up, which is a reassuring sign.
if the doctor or doctors are worried about your baby's heartbeat from looking at the EFM, they may want to do fetal blood sampling.
This test shows how the baby is coping with labour and measures the level of oxygen in their blood. Your doctor or doctor should tell you why they think you need this test and if there are any other options.
FBS involves having a vaginal examination, using an instrument similar to a speculum. Your healthcare professional will make a scratch on your baby's scalp and take a small amount of blood for testing. The scratch will heal quickly after birth, but there is a small risk of infection.
After the FBS, your doctor or doctor will explain the results and talk to you about what should happen next. Your options may include the following:
If your healthcare team can’t geta sample, they can’t guarantee the baby is okay. In this case, they will probably recommend an assisted birth or caesarean section as the safest options.
