In every womans stages in life, pregnancy and child birth are some of the most significant events they will experience. The splendor of pregnancy and child birth is maybe momentary but it is truly an amazing experience to every woman. A pregnant woman should be extra careful with her health and he should bear to mind that there is a new life developing inside her womb. It is necessary that the mother should have enough information about pregnancy and other things related to it such as fetal monitors and internal fetal monitoring to help her prepare for the birth of her child.
Fetal monitors are essential tools for pregnant mothers during the time of pregnancy and even during labor and delivery. Fetal monitors are extensively used in birthing clinics and hospitals. These are done electronically to trace the fetal heart rate of the baby and the uterine contractions of the mother. The heart rate of the baby often reflects its health status and well being so it is important to continuously monitor the mother during labor and delivery with internal fetal monitoring method. The internal fetal monitoring is being applied to obtain enough information about the well being of the baby and to assess labor progress. It has been reported that the internal fetal monitoring is much more accurate than external fetal monitoring although external fetal monitoring are commonly used in various hospitals and birthing centers nowadays. The difference between external fetal monitoring and internal fetal monitoring is explained further in this article to provide significant information which is helpful to all pregnant women out there. The external fetal monitoring uses an ultrasound waves to detect the fetal heart rate while internal fetal monitoring does not. Because external fetal monitoring is done externally by placing sensitive electrodes on the mothers belly, it is subject to various forms of inaccuracy. When the external fetal monitoring cannot provide sufficient information regarding the babys fetal heart rate and well being, then the health care provider might advise to move to internal fetal monitoring. The internal fetal monitoring is likely to be more accurate than external fetal monitoring because it does not solely relies on ultrasound technology. The internal fetal monitoring can provide accurate detection of the heart rate of the baby and the confusion between the mothers heart rate and with that of the baby is being minimized. The internal fetal monitoring can then also lessen the incidence where the fetal heart rate might possibly double at low rates and halved at high rates. Health physicians and health care providers sometimes need to increase the accuracy of obtaining precise information by moving to internal fetal monitoring.
The internal fetal monitoring is being performed by inserting an electrode through the cervix of a pregnant woman and directly placed on the fetal scalp. The internal fetal monitoring can also provide continuous monitoring on women with high risk pregnancies. In order to accurately use this internal fetal monitoring method, the health care provider must make sure that the mothers water bag is broken and dilated between two to three centimeters. The internal fetal monitoring relies on the electrode being placed on the fetal scalp during labor. The internal fetal monitoring does not measures the mothers contractions directly but internal fetal monitoring device may be used with an intrauterine pressure catheter which monitors contractions internally or an external belt that measures the timing of contractions. Health care providers may recommend internal fetal monitoring when the baby has an abnormal fetal heart rate, the mother has problems with her health, when the health care provider wants to measure the strength or uterine contractions and when the mother is being administered with oxytocin which helps stimulate contractions. Moreover, internal fetal monitoring is acclaimed as the most précised method of evaluating the babys heart rate during labor and delivery. Continuous internal fetal monitoring is more effective if it is difficult to hear the fetal heart rate externally or if the fetal heart pattern is not reassuring. When using internal fetal monitoring, accuracy is one of the main advantage and benefit you can get. While internal fetal monitoring is being performed, the mother can easily move around her bed more comfortably than being fixed by the abdominal belt of an external fetal monitoring. Certain risks are to be considered when using internal fetal monitoring and complications from this internal fetal monitoring test are rare. This may include infection on the babys scalp caused by the electrode, improper placement of the electrode might hurt the baby and the catheter placed in the uterus may cause bleeding in the mother if it goes through the placenta or the uterine wall and these may cause uterine infection.
The internal fetal monitoring works by using a thin wire to send out electrical signals form the babys heart. The result being obtained from internal fetal monitoring is visually recorded on the graph so you can directly see how well the baby is responding to her mothers contractions. However, internal fetal monitoring has its own fair share of critics and disadvantages. Usually, babys that have undergone internal fetal monitoring normally have a small cut on the scalp where the electrode and this is commonly called as the stork bite. But this stork bite will eventually heal if being cared properly. Another disadvantage of internal fetal monitoring is that the risk of infection for the mother and the baby is slightly higher. But mothers should not worry about these disadvantages because this is only a small price to pay compared to the added benefits you can get from internal fetal monitoring. |
