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 ...

Forceps Forced Delivery Forceps look like large sugar tongs and are designed so that they will fit snugly over the sides of the baby's head, covering the ears. They are rather like a cage and protect the head from any pressure within the birth canal. The decision to use forceps is a medical one. Forceps are only applied when the first stage is complete, the cervix is fully dilated and the head is in the birth canal Why it is done Forceps are used when the baby`s head has descended into the mothers pelvis but fails to descend further; when the baby is presenting ...