Medical Uni References – Pregnancy Issue and Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

This high-tech replacement for the ear trumpet is used to track the baby’s heartbeat. Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) will be used routinely in all cases of high-risk pregnancies, but most mothers and babies don’t require it. You will have EFM if you are being induced or your labour is being accelerated for any reason, or if you have opted for epidural anaesthesia. Its main function is to give warning of fetal distress. If your doctors decide that you and your baby would be better off with EFM, try to see it as a source of reassurance. You can watch your baby’s heartbeat during labour and know that he is fine.

What it is

There are two kinds of electronic monitors, external and internal. An external monitor can be used early in labour and is sometimes used during pregnancy to check the baby’s well-being. The internal monitor is slightly more accurate. You will have belts strapped around your body and a tiny electrode will be clipped on to the baby’s head. Your contractions and the baby’s heartbeat are recorded on a printout (partogram). There is also a video screen that records the contractions and heartbeats as visible waves, punctuated by flashing lights.

Read the rest of this entry »

The most common reasons for deciding to have a Caesarean include the baby’s head being too large to pass through your pelvis, the baby being in a breech position or lying across your pelvis; placenta praevia (where the placenta has implanted near or over the cervix); and certain medical conditions such as diabetes or AIDS.

It may also be necessary if you have previously had a Caesarean. This was once thought essential, because it was feared that the scar of the previous Caesarean section would open up during labor. But experience has shown that this does not happen with the horizontal or “bikini” cut, which is now usually employed. Doctors often suggest that you try a normal vaginal delivery, known as a “trial of labor”. However, remember that it is your uterus that is on trial, not you, so don’t feel you have failed if you end up having a Caesarean. Read the rest of this entry »