Fetal Monitoring

Your health care provider will be monitoring the condition of your fetus throughout your pregnancy and labor to check on the fetus’ status. Because any changes in the heartbeat can signal a possible problem, the clinician monitors the baby’s heartbeat frequently and regularly during labor.

Two types of monitoring can be used: Auscultation and Electronic Fetal Monitoring.

1. Auscultation Fetal Monitoring Auscultation is the term for listening to the heartbeat of the fetus. Most often the clinician uses a Doppler ultrasound to listen to the heartbeat of the fetus. This instrument uses sound waves to create a signal that is them amplified. The clinician presses the device against the woman’s abdomen, and the amplifier makes it possible for anyone in the room to hear the heartbeat.

Another method of listening to the fetal heartbeat is by using a stethoscope like instrument called a fetoscope. The clinician presses the diaphragm (round flat end) of the fetoscope against the abdomen of the woman. The heartbeat of the fetus can be heard by the one wearing the instrument earpiece.



2. Electronic fetal monitoring measures the heartbeat of the fetus electronically. The heartbeat is recorded continuously and can be read by the clinician
   1. External Monitoring: The clinician places two belts around the woman’s abdomen around which hold two instruments in place. One instrument measures fetal heart rate while the other instrument measures both the length of the uterine contractions and the length of time between the contractions.
   2. Internal Monitoring Internal Monitoring can only be administered after the fetal membranes (bag of water) have been broken. The fetal heart rate is recorded by an instrument with an electrode that is attached to the scalp of the fetus. The clinician can also place a thin tube in the uterus to measure the strength of contractions.

The following are two types of electronic fetal monitoring:

Most women who have had this procedure done report only minor discomfort. Sometimes a clinician will use a combination of internal and external monitoring.

A tocodynamometer is a special instrument that clinicians sometimes recommend for women who are at high risk for preterm labor and delivery.