How is your baby doing during delivery and how is it affected by the contractions?
A traditional midwife tool was the wooden Pinard Horn, to listen to the heart beats of the baby. Today there is a complementary tool in the CTG apparatus.
Your contractions will be measured by small transducers that the midwife will attach around your stomach. Another set of transducers will be attached to register the baby’s pulse, which will register its pulse through ultrasound. Another alternative is to attach a small transducer to the outer layers of the baby’s skull through your vagina. The result will be a diagram where the obstetricians and midwifes can follow how your contractions and the baby’s heartbeats develop. In such a diagram you can study how your baby’s pulse will be affected during and in between contractions.
A CTG apparats can give strong guidance during a long delivery, and indicate how the contractions proceed and how the baby is coping with the long term stress.