In plain words
Continuous electronic fetal monitoring, often called EFM, records the baby's heart rate and the mother's contractions through belts placed on the belly during labor. The machine prints or displays a tracing that the care team reads. It helps watch for changes in the baby's heart rate during labor. Some mothers are on continuous monitoring, and others have it on and off, depending on their risk and the hospital's practice. Monitoring can limit movement in labor, and some mothers choose wireless or intermittent options when they can. A tracing alone does not show everything, so the team also looks at the mother, the labor, and the baby's movements.
The deeper version
Continuous EFM records fetal heart rate and uterine activity using Doppler ultrasound and tocodynamometry, and is interpreted using NICHD three-tier categories (Macones and colleagues, 2008). The Cochrane review of continuous EFM versus found a reduction in neonatal seizures with continuous monitoring, with an increase in operative vaginal and births and no clear difference in cerebral palsy or perinatal mortality. Interpretation variability between clinicians is a recognized source of error, and the controversy centers on whether the trade-off in interventions is justified. Intrapartum care guidance from ACOG includes continuous monitoring as part of the standard labor management for many high-risk and induced labors.
Where it comes up
- VBAC: birth after a cesareanGetting Ready for Birth
- Writing a birth plan that actually helpsGetting Ready for Birth
What mothers here say about continuous electronic fetal monitoring
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Alfirevic Z et al. — Continuous cardiotocography (CTG) as a form of electronic fetal monitoring for fetal assessment during labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Practice Bulletin No. 106: Intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring, 2009, reaffirmed