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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...