For these pregnancies, monitoring is used to be sure the baby is doing well. A labor with complications should have more detailed and continuous monitoring of the baby's heart rate. The devices for external fetal monitoring are held in place by two straps around the mother's abdomen. On one strap is a pressure gauge that records the pressure of the contractions. The other strap is attached to a small ultrasound instrument that records the baby's heart rate.
Monitoring is safe and fairly comfortable.
A woman can change positions while the devices are in place, but movement can disrupt the test recording. Usually the graph will show the baby's heart rate to be normal, indicating the baby is tolerating labor well. When the graph is normal, the monitor might be disconnected periodically to allow the mother greater freedom of movement. The monitor is usually attached for a few minutes each hour during most labors. If the graph shows that the baby's heart rate is abnormal or that the mother's contractions may be too frequent, the doctor may want to use internal monitors to get more accurate information.