A fetal monitor is an electronic instrument that records the heartbeat of a fetus and contractions of the uterus. Fetal monitors detect fetal distress during labor as well. The pattern of the baby's heartbeat during labor often reflects the baby's health. During contractions, the normal pattern is for the fetal heart rate to slow, picking up again as the contraction ends. The heart rate must be monitored during labor, because certain fluctuations in this pattern, such as abrupt drops in the heart rate at the end of a contraction, can create a true life or death situation requiring immediate emergency delivery.
Fetal monitors, attached to the mother by large belts strapped around her abdomen, continuously print out a record of both the fetal heartbeat and the strength, duration, and frequency of the uterine contractions, so that deviations from normal patterns can be identified. New attachments, not yet commonly used, may enable them also to monitor the mother's temperature, blood pressure, blood oxygen, heart rate, and cervical dilation.
The fetal monitor was invented in the 1960s by Professor K. Hammacher and Hewlett-Packard in Boeblingen, Germany. In the spring of 1968, the first HP fetal monitor, “The Babysitter,” was sold commercially. This fetal monitor measured heart beats by use of a contact microphone which provided outputs distinguishing the first and second heart beat of each heart cycle by generating impulses coincident with each beat. While the first and second heart beats are distinguished and separately analyzed, the first and second heart beats are not differentiated by the timing relationships between the heart beats in the overall heart cycle which changed on the detection of each heart beat to output two series of pulses, one for each heart beat in each heart cycle.
The purpose of Hammacher’s method was to determine the heartbeat frequency by comparing the rates of each pulse and how they corresponded to the first and second heartbeats. Before the fetal monitor was invented, doctors could hear a fetal heartbeat with a stethoscope, but the stethoscope could not detect subtle changes and did not offer continuous observations. The fetal monitor was a great tool for doctors from then on.
All this changed with the development of the electronic fetal monitor. The fetal monitor is used for the determination of fetal well-being and the early detection of fetal distress. Through continuous recording of the heartbeat, inadequate fetal oxygenation often can be identified and measures can be taken to avert long-term morbidity or mortality. Developed for "high-risk" pregnancies, the fetal monitor is used in the majority of normal pregnancies.
An in-home fetal monitor is available by either renting or purchasing the equipment. There are many companies to choose from. The rates vary from company to company. Just be sure that the company has been approved by the FDA before you rent or purchase any fetal monitor. Contact the Better Business Bureau if you have any questions concerning any company’s qualifications to sell the fetal monitor. Your doctor may be able to steer you toward a reputable company. Fetal monitors can be of great assistance to babies during the birthing process. Any form of protection and prevention that could save a life is beneficial to all involved.
By R. S. Wagner