for anyone considering natural birth-FYI

Rebedall1 · December 2009

My hope is to have as natural a birth as possible. My husband and I are taking a Bradley course that has been very informational about the whole medical process of birth. One of my concerns is being hooked up to an electric fetal monitor (EFM) if there is really no reason other than the doc always does this or the hospital tends to have this policy. We are going to ask in our birth plan that as long as its not medically necesary-we do doppler instead of the EFM. Here is a GREAT article out today about how EFM in low-risk deliveries does not lower the rate of cerebal palsy or fetal death. It does help with lowering the rate of fetal seizures but also increases the rate of c-section and instrument use during delivery ....just wanted to pass along! its good to be informed.

Bhobbsdz · December 2009

You are the first person I have heard say you do not want the electric fetal monitor hooked up to you. Are the reasons what you mentioned in the article you read? Why does it increase the risk of c-section and instrument use during delivery? Is this a research article?

moobug · December 2009

can you provide a link to the article?

nadiarl · December 2009

link?

shkdo0701 · December 2009

I'll be having intermittent fetal monitoring. They'll do a 15 minute strip every hour I think just to make sure baby is ok.

frostnoel · December 2009

I don't want continuous monitoring because it confines you to the bed. I plan on being up and moving around or sitting on the birthing ball or in the shower until push time.

emmyloustu · December 2009

I won't be having EFM either. I am delivering in a birthing center and they use hand held dopplers to detect heart tones. If I were to be delivering in a hospital, I would only have EFM for the minimum required time per hour. I have heard some hospitals now have wireless ones which is a great advancement so at least they don't restrict your movement.

If you have a link to the article, that would be great!

jordans_wife · December 2009

i don't want efm either. i will ask them to use a doppler instead if possible.

Iheartkevi · December 2009

It's not exciting to me to think about them screwing that little screw thing into my baby's head to monitor him. Unless he really needs it, I'd rather not have him feel that pain.

It's pretty crazy what we're allowed to do to babies in utero that we'd get in trouble for if we did when they were born.

Nennifre · December 2009

The monitors at my hospital have like a 8-10 ft cord, so you can still move around the room. They do have to monitor 15-20 minutes every hour.

jkmccall22 · December 2009

I used a birthing center for DS. They used EFM. I wasn't opposed to it, since I had a very open birth plan. However, I'm glad I did have it bc at 2 different points, DS's heart rate dropped to about 40 bpm for over a minute. I was almost rushed for a c-section, but they were able to get it back up by switching my position. If not for the monitoring, I would have had no idea he was in distress. It actually gave me peace of mind.

I can understand not wanting to be tied to the bed, though, too.

Iheartkevi · December 2009

Sorry, I'm exhausted today. I'm talking about the internal fetal monitor, the one you get when you get an epi.

emmyloustu · December 2009

Iheartkevi:
It's not exciting to me to think about them screwing that little screw thing into my baby's head to monitor him. Unless he really needs it, I'd rather not have him feel that pain.
It's pretty crazy what we're allowed to do to babies in utero that we'd get in trouble for if we did when they were born.

That's not EFM, that's internal monitoring and that freaks me out! I really don't see any point in it.

cutie420311 · December 2009

they don't "screw it into the baby's head" that's just silly.

Iheartkevi · December 2009

cutie420311:
they don't "screw it into the baby's head" that's just silly.

Have you not seen one? Google it if you haven't. How else will they get it to stick? It's a small spring.

Iheartkevi · December 2009

emmyloustu:
Iheartkevi:
It's not exciting to me to think about them screwing that little screw thing into my baby's head to monitor him. Unless he really needs it, I'd rather not have him feel that pain.
It's pretty crazy what we're allowed to do to babies in utero that we'd get in trouble for if we did when they were born.
That's not EFM, that's internal monitoring and that freaks me out! I really don't see any point in it.

Yep, sorry, I corrected myself. I thought she was talking about IFM.

JenGK · December 2009

Iheartkevi:
Sorry, I'm exhausted today. I'm talking about the internal fetal monitor, the one you get when you get an epi.

My hospital doesn't regularly give those with an epi. I got one with DS, but that was only because he had extended periods of deceleration, and then periods of flat rates, and they wanted to be sure what was going on before they recommended a c-section.

Iheartkevi · December 2009

You're both lucky, then! My hospital does the IFM with epidurals unless you specifically ask otherwise. Just make sure you're all informed of procedures beforehand!

AmandaToo · December 2009

I must have missed the link.

I had already decided we don't want constant/internal monitoring (unless something indicates it's necessary) and they don't even offer it in the natural birthing room we hope to use at our hospital. But I also can't change my mind and ask for an epidural and stay in that room, if that's any indication of the philosophy of using that room.

Married2MrWright · December 2009

We are Bradley too and I am considered high risk with GD and AMA. That said, we asked that only intermittent EFM be done (20 minutes on, 40 minutes off) as long as the baby was looking/sounding good. My doc agreed.

swimrbride · December 2009

At my hospital if you are not having an epidural you only have to be monitored for 15-20 minutes per hour. Much better in my opinion than having to be hooked up the entire time and not able to move more than 2 feet from the bed!

Taylor44 · December 2009

MrsJulieT:

Iheartkevi:
Sorry, I'm exhausted today. I'm talking about the internal fetal monitor, the one you get when you get an epi.

I had an epi and never had the internal monitor that they screw into the baby's head. I just had the belt one.

Same here. I had an epi, and didn't have an IFM, just the external on the belly with the band.

smilelari · December 2009

This is one of the big reasons I don't really want to be in a hospital next time. This time I was only in the hospital to push (arrived at 10 cm dilated). The first thing they did was hook up an EFM and I was in no mood to argue at that point. Then, since I was moving around so much they kept losing LO on the monitor and kept messing with it. I eventually agreed to an internal monitor (which I was really opposed to) just so that the nurses would stop messing with me. As soon as they had LO on the monitor, they started getting panicky about his heart rate and put me on oxygen. Makes me wonder what would have happened if I had actually labored at the hospital. I'm sure that LO's heartrate was doing similar things the entire time I was in labor. If I had given the hospital more time to panic about it, I might have been rushed in for an emergency c-section. And you know what? LO was just fine, as a lot of babies that are born via c-section would have been fine for a vaginal delivery if given a chance

For those that are wondering, since the introduction of the EFM in the 70s, the c-section rate has gone up drastically, but outcomes have not improved either for mother or baby.

Hip2Bsquare · December 2009

Ugh I don't want either type. I am glad my birthing center only has the doppler!

Rebedall1 · December 2009

sorry here is the link!!!

https://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/1215/p1388.html

Want a personalized experience?

for anyone considering natural birth-FYI

Re: for anyone considering natural birth-FYI

Choose Another Board

Search Boards