Having A Baby

Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring In Labour

During labour, the midwives and doctors will monitor you and your baby, this includes watching your baby’s heart rate pattern. This is called fetal heart monitoring and is a normal part of the labour process.

Listening to your baby’s heartbeat can help midwives and doctors assess how well your baby is coping with labour.

Choosing to have your baby monitored in labour is your choice. Your choice in how your baby’s heartbeat is monitored can be included in your personalised care plan. This can be shared with those caring for you and your baby to ensure they are aware of your decision.

There are lots of handheld fetal heart rate monitors which you can buy for personal use. This is not recommended by Midwives and Doctors as there have been cases where this has given false reassurance to women which has delayed them getting help for their baby when they have needed it

Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring

The Benefits
- During labour, contractions reduce the blood flow to the placenta. This is normal and most babies cope without any problems.
- The national recommendation is that a baby’s heart rate is monitored during labour because it shows hospital staff how your baby is coping, allowing them to act if there are any concerns.
The Risks
- There can be times when it is hard to interpret the heartbeat and it doesn’t always reflect accurately how well your baby is coping. This can sometimes lead to extra intervention.
The Benefits
- Your labour would not be interrupted with heart monitoring.
The Risks
- If your baby is not coping well with labour, hospital staff would not know or be able to act quickly, which could affect your baby’s long-term health or be potentially life-threatening.

Dive Deeper

Select an option

How Is My Baby Heart Monitored?

There are two ways your baby's heart can be monitored during labour.

It can be monitored either at regular intervals (intermittent) or continuously (electronic fetal monitoring). The midwives and doctors will advise you depending on your pregnancy and risk factors, which one would be
recommended when you go into labour.

Intermittent Monitoring

Intermittent monitoring is the usual method of monitoring for low-risk pregnancies. It achieves a balance between detecting babies that are not coping well during labour whilst reducing the risk of unnecessary interventions.

Your midwife will listen to your baby’s heart rate at regular intervals during labour, whilst measuring your pulse to ensure they can tell them apart.

Continuous Monitoring

Continuous monitoring uses a machine called a Cardiotocograph or CTG. This detects and prints out your baby’s heartbeat continuously during labour.

If you have any risk factors during pregnancy and labour or health problems that might affect how your baby copes with labour, you may be recommended a CTG. This will let the midwives and doctors see if there are any changes to your baby's heart rate pattern and show how they are coping with labour.

Fetal heart rate monitoring in labour - your choices

How Does A CTG Work?

For the CTG machine to record your baby’s heart rate and contractions, you will have two straps attached to
your abdomen. One strap holds the ‘toco’ (sensor to monitor contractions) in place. The second strap holds the ‘transducer’ (fetal heart rate detector).

The CTG will provide a continuous printout of your baby’s heart rate pattern. The midwives and doctors will monitor this during labour and can explain to you how your baby is coping.

You may choose to have your baby monitored with a CTG or if you are not comfortable with this, you may choose intermittent monitoring. Please discuss this with your midwife to allow a personalised plan for labour based on your choices.

Fetal heart rate monitoring in labour - your choices

Making Your Decision

Choosing to have your baby monitored in labour is your choice and your midwifery team are available to help guide you through the benefits, risks and options for labour.

Your choice in how the team monitor your baby’s heartbeat can be included in your personalised care plan. This can be shared with those caring for you and your baby to ensure they are aware of your decision.
You may choose one method or you may decide that you prefer your baby to be listened to at differing intervals to the national recommendations.
Your midwife is always there to discuss choices in more detail and help you to feel fully informed.

Remember, your decision can change any time and you will be supported to make choices on what you feel comfortable with.

Who can Help?

If you feel worried and would like more advice you can speak to your midwife throughout your pregnancy and up to 28 days after the birth of your baby.

If you live in Norfolk

You can contact the Healthy Child Programme team for advice and guidance by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or texting Parentline on 07520 631590. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.
If you are 11-19 you can text Chathealth on 07480 635060 for confidential advice from one of the team.

If you live in Suffolk

You can contact the health visiting team by calling 0345 607 8866, texting 07312 277020 or emailing childrenshealth@suffolk.gov.uk. Our opening hours are 9am-5pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays).
If you are 11-19 you can text Chathealth on 07507 333356 for confidential advice from one of the team.