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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To ensure a healthy pregnancy, you must attend your antenatal check-ups regularly. Although most pregnancies proceed normally, these visits and investigations are vital to monitor your progress and spot problems before any harm is done.

Women at high risk, and those women with an existing condition such as diabetes or having a Rhesus negative blood group, are carefully monitored so that the baby’s welfare is never in jeopardy.

You will attend an antenatal clinic at either the hospital where you will have your baby or at your doctor’s surgery. Most of the women attend once a month or so up until 7 months of pregnancy, every two weeks up to 9 months of pregnancy, and then once a week for the last month. Read the rest of this entry »