Now it's known that's not always true. Since the possibility of having a C-section may not arise until you're already in labor, you should educate yourself in advance. For more information, talk to a doctor, and read a book on cesarean delivery. A fetal monitor registers the baby's heartbeat before it's born and can pick up any signs of distress during the process of labor and delivery. The monitor can be attached externally to the mother's abdomen or internally by placing a small electrode on the baby's scalp.
Wires lead to a monitor which records the heartbeat.
Also, a second tube-like device can be placed in the uterine cavity, to measure the strength of the contractions. Data from the monitors prints out on paper in graph-type form, allowing doctors and nurses to spot abnormal heartrate patterns. External fetal monitoring can be conducted intermittently to allow the mother freedom to change positions and walk around. Internal monitoring relays a more accurate reading, but is more invasive and limits the mother's mobility. The latest type of electronic fetal monitoring uses radio waves to transmit the data to the monitor, thus eliminating the wires and connections, and allowing the mother to be more mobile.