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Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) is one of the most important steps made to understand and evaluate the health of your baby inside the womb. EFM is to check the heartbeat of the fetus, while also understanding the strength and contractions in the uterus, which becomes crucial during the labor and delivery.
As an expecting mother, you are probably eager to understand more on electronic fetal monitoring to get an understanding of the mechanism and the benefits of doing so. In this article, we have given a basic outline on this subject.
Electronic Fetal Monitoring:
Electronic Fetal monitoring is done during pregnancy or labor to control how your child is doing and also to control the strength and duration of uterine contractions of the mother. EFM is done to examine two important aspects:
- heartbeat of your baby while in the womb
- The strength of your uterine contractions before delivery or during labor [
[Read: Test To take during pregnancy ]
Methods Fetal monitoring:
EFM is a good mechanism to know if your child is doing well and may require immediate medical attention. Usually there are two methods of fetal monitoring procedures:
1. External monitoring :.
An external electronic fetal monitoring is done with a special electronic device called fetoscope or a handheld Doppler device
- This method can also It is done using two flat devices or sensors held in place with elastic straps on your belly.
- One of the reflected ultrasound uses sensors to keep track of the baby's heart rate and the other sensor measures the duration of uterine contractions.
- A machine connects to both sensors to record the information. baby's heartbeat is printed as a chart or can be heard as a beep.
- A External monitoring can sometimes be done remotely without the use of cables. This process is also known as telemetry
[Read: Ultrasound in pregnancy ].
2. Internal monitoring:
If the external monitor is not recovering well, your doctor may recommend for an internal control to get an accurate reading . The reasons for not get an accurate reading for the external monitoring may be many, such as a simple problem of the device, is moving around a lot, you are overweight. Internal monitoring is done if the amniotic fluid is broken or the cervix has already dilated to two centimeters or more.
- For internal monitoring, a sensor is connected to the mother's body. A thin wire (electrode) from the sensor is then inserted through the cervix to reach the uterus.
- Once the electrode is connected to the baby's scalp, the heart rate is read.
- The heart rate and contractions readings are more accurate in the internal monitoring of external control.
- Internal Control does not use ultrasonic waves for monitoring, as in the case of external monitoring.
3. Continuous electronic fetal monitoring:
Many practitioners and hospitals insist that women workers be connected to a continuous electronic fetal monitors during labor and childbirth regardless of the active factors of risk. You will be notified of a continuous electronic fetal monitoring if :.
- You have pregnancy complications
- Need an epidural during childbirth
- is required oxytocin (Pitocin) to induce labor
[Read: Doppler fetal Monitor ]
Concerns Of the baby's heart rate:
practitioners will watch out for the persistent rapid heart beat of your baby, which could be a cause for concern or a dip in the relative heart rate it could be worrying too much.
- sometimes a couple of simple operations such as changing the position, giving more fluids through a drip, and giving supplemental oxygen may be enough to improve things.
- depending on the situation, other measures may also be needed. This may include stopping the oxytocin, it is recommended that medications to relax the uterus and decrease the contractions; or, if the membranes are ruptured, infusing sterile fluid into the uterus.
- It might be recommended for a caesarean section or assisted delivery, according to his condition.
So if you are an anxious mom-to-be ... enjoying the gallop of the baby's heartbeat as much as you want! Do not panic if there is a dip in heard- heart rate you can leave a scope of technical errors there too
Tell us about your first experiences mothers :.
Happy pregnancy
Reference: 1, 2
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