External fetal monitoring is the term used for measuring the baby's heart rate and the mother's uterine contractions during labor and delivery. The monitor prints a graph of the baby's heart rate and the pattern of the mother's contractions. This information shows how the baby is handling the stress of labor. Doctors use fetal monitoring during labor in all high-risk pregnancies. Some doctors feel that electronic fetal monitoring should be used for all women in labor, either all the time or for a few minutes each hour.
Most labors involve healthy babies.
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.