Baby Heart Monitors

Confusion Between Mother and Baby Heart Rates Can Result in Brain Damage

July 22, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Expecting parents place enormous amounts of trust in the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals responsible for successfully delivering their babies. Most of the time, health-care providers perform their jobs carefully and handle and timely recognize potential health risks that arise during labor and delivery.

However, occasionally doctors and nurses mishandle or negligently overlook problems that can result in lasting injuries to the baby or mother. Of these medical errors, one of the most distressing is confusion between the mother's and baby's heart rates during fetal monitoring in labor and delivery, which can lead to tragic consequences for the baby, such as brain damage and even death.

Electronic Fetal Monitoring

According to Washington University School of Medicine, electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) was introduced in the 1970s to monitor babies during labor and delivery and to aid in determining whether surgical intervention, such as a cesarean section, is necessary during delivery. EFM entails monitoring the baby's heart rate to catch abnormal heart rate patterns and other signs of fetal distress. The aim of EFM is to reduce the risk of harm from insufficient oxygen delivery to the baby's brain during labor and delivery, known medically as fetal hypoxia or fetal asphyxia, which results in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, i.e. brain damage.

Data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that approximately 700 infant deaths occur each year in the U.S. because of reduced oxygen flow during delivery. Fetal hypoxia is not always fatal, and sometimes the baby suffers no permanent damage. In some cases, though, the baby's body is unable to compensate for the lack of oxygen, leading to permanent brain damage.

Therefore, ob-gyn doctors and nurses use EFM to monitor the fetal heart rate for signs of hypoxia. The fetal heart rate must be studied during labor and delivery to determine whether there are any decelerations (slowing of the heart rate) from the normal rate, which at least indicates a need for further investigation into potential fetal distress like hypoxia. Careful monitoring of the fetal heart rate, proper assessment of fetal hypoxia and an appropriate medical response are all necessary to prevent significant birth injuries and the negative consequences of fetal hypoxia or asphyxia.

Baby Heart Monitor : FemaleParent.com

Well, there's nothing more  exciting than expecting a baby and many expectant mothers and fathers can’t wait to hear the sound of their child’s heartbeat. Parents who can’t wait and parents who want to share the wonderful experience of listening to the beating sound can buy a baby heart monitor known as a fetal Doppler.                                                              Yeah, it's true that the  baby heart monitor is very safe to use. It has been tested and released by the United States governmental agencies responsible for such regulations. No negative affects have been found in over thirty years of use. The baby heart monitor is the same technology used in hospitals everyday on thousands and thousands of patients In fact, for the first few months of my pregnancy, I was constantly beset by anxiety.  Even though intellectually I knew that my baby was just beginning to develop, I was still sort of worried by the absence of any noticeable activity.  You know how it goes.  In movies, babies are always kicking at their mothers bellies, or shifting around.  As I said, I knew that it is a long time before the baby starts to exhibit any of these behaviors in reality, but that didn't stop me from worrying that something was going wrong. I can't deny to the feeling of relief to the fact that the first time the doctor used the baby Doppler on me.  It was such a thrill to be able to hear my baby heartbeat monitor thrumming, and to watch her move around on the ultrasound.  I knew that my baby was healthy and developing  in a natural manner.   Although being pregnant made me worry almost constantly, having the baby heart monitor put my mind at ease.  I decided that I needed one of these baby heart monitors to use at home. We all know that, heartbeat baby monitors are not just useful for neurotic worrywarts like me.  I have never met a parent who bought a baby heart monitor and regretted it, unless of course it was badly made and stopped working quickly.  It is just such a thrill to be able to watch new life developed, especially inside you.  Not only that, but the baby heart monitor becomes a social activity as well.  Any time I have people over, they all want to hear my baby's heart beating.  I always thought that it was a silly new mother thing.  Just because I was obsessed with the child growing inside me, didn't mean that other people would not find it boring or even annoying.  I guess I was sorely mistaken!  My friends are every bit as obsessed with this baby heart monitor as I am.  They asked me, almost constantly, when the baby is due even though I've already told them. Since the baby heart monitor can be quite an expensive investment for parents. So many parents choose to rent one. Renting a baby heart monitor is much less expensive and the parents can always change their minds and purchase the unit if they so choose. With the morning sickness, the backaches, and all of the other problems of being pregnant, it's nice to be able to listen to the baby heart monitor and understand that it is almost over, and soon you'll have a new little person to take care of.

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