Before Birth Fetal Monitoring

These tests consist on measuring the cardiac rhythm of the fetus with a sp ecial machine, as well as the fetus’s movement and uterine activity. The doctor connects the mother to this apparatus, that detects uterine contractions and the heartbeat of the fetus, and the outcome is a report of both. It is similar to the apparatus that is used during labor to determine the contractions and heart of the baby. The mother is also given a button to press every time she perceives fetal movement. This is done for thirty or forty minutes. The doctor then studies the accumulated information in search of signs of acceleration of the cardiac rhythm of the baby. If the accelerations are present and occur frequently enough, the tests can be considered reactive, and the fetus is healthy and with probabilities of remaining that way in the next three to seven days, more or less. If the accelerations are not adequate, in other words the test is not reactive, you still don’t have to worry, as in 80 percent of the cases the fetus is fine, but will require a post evaluation.

The doctor may do this exam once or twice a week in different cases such as:

• If you are overdue

• If the baby is not growing like he or she should

• If you have a decrease in the amount of amniotic fluid

• If you have high arterial pressure