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.

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Some types of pain relief will only be available in large or teaching hospitals, others are widely available in all hospitals. Your midwife will also be able to offer you certain types during a home delivery.

Regional anaesthetics

These remove sensation from part of your body by blocking the transmission of pain from nerve fibres. Caudal anaesthesia is administered by an injection into your spinal area around the sacrum, and numbs your vagina and perineum. This may be used for short-term relief if the birth involves a vacuum extraction or forceps delivery.

To administer a pudendal block, anaesthesia is injected straight into your vagina near the pelvic region, blocking the pudendal nerve. This numbs the lower part of your vagina, and may be used if you have an episiotomy.

The most widely used form of this type of anaesthesia is the epidural block. Most mothers who have a Caesarean have an epidural instead of a general anaesthetic, which allows them to stay awake throughout the birth.

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The more comfortable and relaxed a mother feels during labour, the better her ability to cope with pain. She can find this security with loving support from a birth assistant. The partner is the natural choice, as he will probably be closely involved throughout the pregnancy, and eager to share the experience of his child’s birth. Most hospitals now welcome fathers, friends or relatives to support the labouring mother.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR ROLE

Like many partners, you may be nervous or worry about feeling squeamish, or being inadequate at offering sufficient support. You can help combat this by prepar­ing yourself in advance. It s important that you know as much as possible so that you can effectively help the mother meet the physical and emotional demands of labour. At the antenatal classes there will be demonstra­tions to describe the onset of labour and the effect of contractions, and you will be taught techniques for helping her relax. Read the rest of this entry »

Each hospital has its own set of routine procedures for labour. If you have visited the hospital beforehand you will have some idea of the hospital routine.

Admission to hospital

Once you’ve arrived in hospital you may be offered a wheelchair to transport you from the hospital entrance to the labour ward. If your labour is well advanced, you’ll welcome a wheelchair, but if not, you should be allowed to walk if you wish.

You may have outlined in your birth plan how you wish your labour to go, and once youve met your midwife or doctor, this is the time to make sure they have a copy that you can look over with them. They will also make some checks and will ask you questions about your labour.

If you aren’t happy with any procedure, if equipment, lights, and needles frighten you, or if you are upset by a staff member, act at the time. Your birth assistant can voice your feelings if you aren’t feeling strong enough.

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