One of the most crucial signs of a baby’s health during labor is the fetal heartbeat. The sound of that steady heartbeat can reassure and comfort expectant parents, letting them know that their baby is healthy and growing toward the end of the pregnancy.
Healthcare providers keep a careful eye on the baby’s heartbeat throughout labor to make sure everything is going according to plan. The baby’s heartbeat can provide important information about how it is coping with the stress of labor, as well as help inform decisions that will keep mother and child safe.
Parents can feel more prepared and at ease during labor if they know what to look for in a fetal heartbeat. This post will describe how the heartbeat is tracked, what it can indicate, and what to do in the event that something seems off.
Aspect | Description |
What It Is | The fetal heartbeat is the sound of the baby"s heart beating inside the womb. It"s monitored during labor to check the baby"s health. |
How It"s Measured | Using a device called a Doppler monitor or an electronic fetal monitor, doctors listen to the baby"s heartbeat through the mother"s abdomen. |
Normal Range | A typical fetal heartbeat ranges from 110 to 160 beats per minute. This can vary depending on the baby"s activity and gestational age. |
Why It"s Important | Monitoring the heartbeat helps ensure the baby is getting enough oxygen and that there are no signs of distress or complications during labor. |
What Abnormal Patterns Mean | Abnormal heart rates, such as being too fast or too slow, can indicate potential issues like lack of oxygen or umbilical cord problems. Further tests may be needed if abnormalities are detected. |
Actions Taken | If there are concerns about the baby"s heartbeat, doctors may adjust the mother"s position, provide oxygen, or consider other interventions to ensure the baby"s well-being. |
- Fetal heart rate during contractions
- When and how CTG is measured during childbirth
- If the baby"s pulse is too rapid
- If the baby"s pulse is too rare
- If the heart rate deviates from the norm
- Oxytocin test
- Video on the topic
- Changes in the work of the heart during pregnancy.
- Tachycardia during pregnancy and childbirth
- Labor attempts, decompression, fetal heartbeat © Labor attempts. Decompression, fetal heart
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- Fetal heart during childbirth
- Cardiotocogram
- Fetal movements before childbirth. How a baby behaves in the belly before childbirth
Fetal heart rate during contractions
A baby’s normal heart rate ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute prior to the onset of labor. When the baby is peacefully sleeping or not moving around much, its pulse can get close to the upper limit or the lower limit.
Everything shifts as soon as work activity picks up steam. The uterus tightens, blood vessels narrow, and the baby’s blood supply gets worse during a contraction. It "takes its breath away" because the baby’s only source of oxygen saturation is the mother’s blood.
An elevated heart rate during a contraction is typical, followed by a drop in the baby’s pulse rate as the contraction wanes. Even if the baby’s heart rate spikes for several hours, a brief increase to 160 or even 200 beats per minute does not endanger the infant. On the other hand, hypoxia is indicated in a child if the pulse falls to 100 beats per minute or lower.
A child with a pulse of roughly 100 beats per minute can endure 6-7 minutes of intrauterine hypoxia without experiencing any pain before fully recovering, according to statistics. The child may experience severe health consequences, like cerebral palsy, for seven to fifteen minutes while they are in pain. If a child is oxygen starved for more than fifteen minutes during childbirth, they may die.
In this situation, how will the mother feel? Nothing! However, the CTG gadget will pick up on everything.
When and how CTG is measured during childbirth
There are two sensors on the CTG device. Two of them are in the navel region, which is where the bottom of the uterus is located, and they are attached to the areas where the doctor can hear the baby’s heartbeat the best. One of them records the baby’s heartbeat. The gadget occasionally has a manual recorder as well; if the mother feels the baby move, she presses a button because the baby’s heartbeat quickens.
The KTG apparatus is used three times in a healthy pregnant woman who gives birth normally: upon admission (at the start of childbirth), during the amniotic fluid phase, and at the onset of attempts. The readings are taken every three hours if labor is prolonged. Twenty minutes are recorded, sometimes a little bit longer.
Pregnant women are typically asked to lie on their left side in order to obtain readings, but if the expectant mother finds lying on her side to be extremely uncomfortable, readings can also be obtained while she is on her back. However, it should be considered that the baby’s blood supply may be impacted when the mother is on her back due to the weight of her uterus compressing the inferior vena cava.
Naturally, it’s challenging to lie still while the sensors are attached, but it’s essential!
In other words, if the woman gives birth after a cesarean section, if she has gestosis, or if the pregnancy was complicated and the doctor has reason to suspect that labor complications may arise, then CTG readings are taken more frequently, up to continuous recording of the baby’s heartbeat. The baby’s heartbeat sensor is attached without cutting through their head, so it remains uninterrupted even during attempts, but the fighting sensor becomes unnecessary.
If epidural anesthesia was used to stop contractions or if medication was used to induce labor, CTG is administered more frequently.
If the baby"s pulse is too rapid
Therefore, a baby’s elevated pulse rate is a typical response to a contraction. The vital sign is that the pulse starts to return to normal as soon as the contraction ends, even if it spikes to 200 beats per minute or higher.
If the baby’s pulse does not become less frequent between contractions and stays above 180 beats per minute for at least 10 minutes, this indicates persistent fetal hypoxia and calls for immediate medical attention.
It is thought that the fetus has already experienced acute heart failure if the baby’s pulse falls below 220. We must put money aside!
If the baby"s pulse is too rare
A decrease in the baby"s pulse below the normal range is considered a more alarming sign than an increased heart rate. However, only a doctor can accurately determine the degree of danger. For example, before the amniotic fluid has broken, the baby"s pulse may not increase, but decrease during contractions. This happens because in the aquatic environment the pressure on the baby is high enough to cause a short-term increase in intracranial pressure. Such a decrease in pulse does not pose any danger to the baby"s health. Sometimes the pulse decreases if the baby"s head presses the umbilical cord, and the blood flow in it has decreased for a while. This is also a normal variant.
We are most likely talking about placental insufficiency and fetal hypoxia if the drop in heart rate becomes regular, longer-lasting, and happens during contractions even after the amniotic fluid has broken.
If the heart rate deviates from the norm
Unfavorable diagnostic signs include both a jumping pulse, whose changes are not related to contractions, and a monotonous decreased pulse, whose changes do not occur during contractions. Typically, they discuss heart failure, deep hypoxia, and brain damage to the infant.
The baby’s pulse typically beats in time with the contractions, varying by no more than 25 to 30 beats per minute.
Oxytocin test
The baby’s pulse indicates that, as you can see, "everything is complicated." Even a skilled physician may not always be able to diagnose problems with the placenta by looking at the CTG tape. Tangled umbilical cord in a dense state? heart attack?
Consequently, physicians occasionally employ the "oxytocin test." Here, a tiny injection of the hormone oxytocin—which initiates uterine contractions—is given to the laboring woman. Since the test will only intensify a few contractions, it won’t have an impact on how labor progresses. However, it will enable the physician to observe the infant’s response. The baby still has sufficient strength to be born naturally if the drug administration causes an increase in heart rate.
A crucial step in making sure the baby is safe during labor is to listen to the fetal heartbeat. It enables medical professionals to promptly identify any indications of distress and helps them keep an eye on how the baby is handling the birthing process.
The parents can find comfort in the sound of their baby’s heartbeat, knowing that their infant is doing well. It’s encouraging to know that mother and child are progressing through labor without incident.
Parents can feel more prepared and confident if they know how important it is to keep an eye on the fetal heartbeat. Being prepared can go a long way toward making labor as peaceful and enjoyable as possible.
The fetal heartbeat is closely monitored during labor to make sure the baby is doing well because it gives vital information about how the baby is handling the stress of giving birth. This quick but crucial check makes it easier for medical professionals to identify any early warning indicators of distress in mothers and babies, enabling them to act quickly to ensure their safety.