Monitoring

In a Nutshell

Fetal monitoring occurs when your provider uses tools to monitor the heartbeat of your baby during labor and birth. These monitors can also pick up your contractions. The purpose of this monitoring is to ensure that baby is handling the labor process well. If your baby’s heartbeat indicates that baby is stressed or having a difficult time coping with the labor process, healthcare professionals can quickly intervene.

Dig Deeper

Fetal monitoring tracks your baby’s heart rate and your contractions. Your baby’s heart rate should be about 110-160 beats per minute.

How do they monitor baby's heart rate?

There are a few ways your provider can monitor your contractions and/or your baby's heart rate.

Options

Continuous Monitoring

Two bands go around your belly. One reads baby’s heart rate and the other measures the frequency (not strength) of the contractions. Wires connect the monitors to a machine by the bed that records heart rate and contractions. The wires and monitors can make movement more difficult.

Inline Labor - 18

Want more?

Sign up to read the whole topic and its 5 other options, then build and share your visual birth plan with your care team.

Previous Topic Next Topic

Options

Please sign in or register to make your selections.

Learn More

Evidence Based Birth ® - “Based on the evidence, the best option for most women and babies is intermittent auscultation.
American College of OBs and Gynecology - ”In one study, four obstetricians reviewed 50 FHR tracings and agreed on only 22% of them. Two months later, the same obstetricians re-examined the tracings and changed their interpretation on 21%.”
Continuous fetal monitoring has no impact on saving newborns from cerebral palsy or seizures
Research for the “20 minute strip” on admission to the hospital - “Contrary to continued use in some clinical areas, we found no evidence of benefit for the use of the admission cardiotocograph (CTG) for low-risk women on admission in labour.”