Cardiotocography – Fetal and Uterine Monitoring in Pregnancy

Pregnancy is really a very magical moment in a woman’s life and well done prenatal care ensures that this moment is even better. Good follow-up includes exams of various types, including cardiotocography.

For those who have had a baby, cardiotocography will be easier to identify. Do you know those devices placed on the pregnant woman’s belly during labor? In films where a delivery takes place mainly if it is a normal delivery, certainly a cardiotocography device and its electrodes will appear.

What does the Cardiotoco do?

This cardiotocography device monitors the baby’s heartbeat and also the mother’s uterine contractions and can show whether the woman is in labor or not. Cardiotocography before delivery is very important to show if the time of birth is approaching and how it is with the baby’s heart rate consequently if there is fetal distress due to slowing of the beats .

It is more common for the doctor to recommend cardiotocography later in the pregnancy, so you can see if everything is ok with mom and baby. The cardiotocography exam is interpreted by a graph that shows the peaks of both the fetal heartbeat and uterine movements. If there is a contraction, the electrodes placed on the belly will feel and this will translate into waves of rising and falling on the paper. Very similar to an electrocardiogram , cardiotocography is very efficient .

Explanatory Video

During the Cardiotocography Exam

The electrodes are placed at strategic points on the pregnant woman’s belly and a specialized professional will look for the baby’s beats for one electrode and the other will monitor the uterus.

Some cardiotocography exams still have the aspect of fetal movement, if the mother feels the baby move she presses a button more like a hospital room bell, those that serve to call the nurse. The mother can be monitored for about 20 minutes, thus having a complete report of the movements, if there are contractions and if they are paced.

Baby Stimulation and Reaction

In a maternity emergency room, this test is done quite frequently, including checking the fetus’ reaction when a horn is blown. Horn? Yea! These cases are more delicate, usually if there is a complaint from the mother in relation to the baby’s movements, in this case the decrease or absence, this method can be adopted during cardiotocography.

The baby is really scared you can believe it. Normally the nasty horns are also activated when the baby is sleeping, in order to wake him up for a more complete assessment. Although the baby does not hear in the same way that we heard outside, we are left with the bad impression that it was very high, but calm, he is protected by a blanket of amniotic fluid that “cushions” the impact of the sound.

To take into account possible fetal distress, the baby’s heart rate is assessed. The normal is that it is above 120bpm, but in some cases it can reach 80bpm. This happens for several reasons, including the compression of the umbilical cord.

During a contraction it is possible for the heartbeat to slow down but it is not so worrying, it is up to the doctor to evaluate each case separately. Remembering that a slowdown in the heart is not a concern in isolation, but if the baby has a series of slowdowns during the exam period and for a long period of time, over 8 minutes.

But cardiotocography can also diagnose the acceleration of the baby’s heart, if it reaches 180 and remains for more than 15 minutes, the doctor will certainly choose to perform the delivery. Pregnancies over the birth period are often submitted to cardiotocography, at least every 2 days until the baby is born.

A tip for pregnant women: do you want to improve the pleasure of sex during the gestational phase? Use water-based lubricating gels that play the role of cervical mucus and still control vaginal pH, reducing the chances of proliferation of fungi and bacteria responsible for infections. Famivita has developed the perfect lubricant for pregnant women and pregnant women, the FamiGel . You can buy it here in our online store

Author’s Note

When pregnant with Luiz Eduardo, I went back and forth from the maternity hospital several times because I was already 41 weeks pregnant and there was no time to arrive, so I did cardiotocography frequently.

One day, he moved me less than ideally and then the famous horn went off next to my belly for about 4 seconds. He jumped! I’ve never felt so agitated!

Despite my fright, today I know that the exam is normal and at that moment everything was ok with my baby. He was born 2 days after that little scare. Anyway, cardiotocography is very efficient, your doctor will ask at some point in the final stretch and yes it is very worthwhile.

See also: Childbirth Work – How to Recognize the Time Has Come

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My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.

Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

Dr. Alexis Hart

My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

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