For most pregnant women, having to carry a child inside a womb for nine months will take a lot of hard work. Nine months of pregnancy causes a lot of anxiety and pressure to a pregnant woman but after nine months, the fetus inside the mother’s womb is fully developed and ready to see the world. Labor is the final stage of pregnancy. It is the grand ending for nine months of uphill struggle. During labor, the mother will experience pain and nervous tension and nearly all babies can fairly tolerate labor to a certain extent. In spite of this, there are certain chances of risk for the mother and the baby during labor that cannot be disregard. We must take into full consideration these chances of risk and this is why all babies should be monitored by the use of fetal monitors while the mother is in labor.
There are numerous various types of fetal monitors and fetal monitoring methods available for monitoring the fetal well being. The electronic fetal monitors are widely used in hospitals and birthing clinics to detect and monitor the fetal heart rate and uterine contractions of the mother. Monitoring the fetal heart rate and detecting the uterine contractions are done separately. Electronic fetal monitoring is of two types, the external fetal monitoring and the internal fetal monitoring. The external fetal monitoring is applied to detect the heartbeat of the baby by placing an ultrasound disc with ultrasound lotion on the abdomen of the mother and secured by a lightweight stretchable belt. Detecting the uterine contractions of the pregnant mother is done by recording the contractions from a pressure sensitive device that is placed directly on the mothers belly and also secured by a lightweight band or belt. In this manner, external fetal monitoring of uterine contractions can tell the frequency of contractions but not actually the strength. Part of the initial assessment when a pregnant mother first arrived at the hospital or birthing centers is a 20 to 30 minutes of external fetal monitoring of the pregnant mothers uterine contractions and the pattern of the babys heart rate. During the application of the external fetal monitoring, the mobility of the mother is limited. But in the case that the initial fetal heart rate and the contraction pattern of the mother are both doing well, the external fetal monitoring device is being removed. If there are no indications for continuous fetal monitoring, the mother can ask the nurse to remove the external fetal monitoring device to allow her to move and walk. Pregnant women are more anxious to know how external fetal monitoring is being performed. To give them an overview, the external fetal monitoring is performed transdermally or through the skin and it means that the external fetal monitoring is safe and non invasive. During the external fetal monitoring procedure, the mother is required to sit on her knees and make her back partially elevated while putting a comfortable cushion under her right hip which allow her uterus to move to the left.
A sensitive electrode such as an external fetal monitoring device are placed on her belly over a conducting gel that will able to sense both the fetal heart rate and the strength and duration of the uterine contractions. Normally, the external fetal monitoring results are printed out or appear on the computer monitor. By performing an external fetal monitoring procedure, health care providers can monitor whether the baby is experiencing fetal distress or monitor the babys tolerance to her mothers uterine contractions. The decision of the health care providers to move to another procedure such as the internal fetal monitoring is based upon the results and information which was first obtained by doing external fetal monitoring. There are various ways to obtain and monitor the maternal and fetal well being and these are done externally. Another way of external fetal monitoring is the NST or non stress test. The NST external fetal monitoring can be performed earlier as the 27th week of conception. The NST external fetal monitoring procedure is done as the same way as the external fetal monitoring. The NST external fetal monitoring can measure the fetal heart rate accelerations with normal movement. The same monitors described in external fetal monitoring are placed on the mothers belly to measure the fetal heart rate and the ability of the uterus to contract. When there is no recorded activity after 30 to 40 minutes, the mother will be given something to encourage fetal movement. The final method of external fetal monitoring is the CST or contraction stress test. This CST external fetal monitoring is applied to measure and calculate the ability of the placenta to sufficiently supply oxygen to the fetus which is under contractions. The same method and the same external fetal monitoring devices described above are used. In cases where contractions are not occurring normally and spontaneously, two options are being applied. First option is the administration of a medicine called oxytocin or the stimulation of the mothers nipple to induce contractions.
Before administering the external fetal monitoring, the health care provider or a nurse will explain to the mother the whole procedure and the certain risks of external fetal monitoring and how to prepare for the external fetal monitoring test. Expect that prior to the external fetal monitoring procedure the health care provider will let you sign a consent form. The external fetal monitoring test will somehow make the mother feel uncomfortable during the procedure because she will be asked to sit in one place for a long period of time. When it happens, the mother could tell the health care provider to help her change position. The external fetal monitoring methods and ways are most valuable in hospitals and birthing centers to help indicate the health status of the mother as well as the baby during labor or delivery. There are different ways and methods of fetal monitoring. It is always the mothers decision what procedure to take.
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