listening to baby's heart rate in labour did it resrct you?

[farmerflower]

Im doing a wee study on how midwives monitor the baby's heart rate in labour and how often do they do it ie continously or intermittently. Anyone got any strong views on the subject id love to hear form you.

[Beccabump]

I was really fed -up with the monitoring I received, I was induced, then had my waters broken, then was put on a synto drip. All of this seemed to happen without much choice, I was just informed that 'that's what was best'. DD slept through the whole labour with no stress, no problems whatsoever but I was monitored continuously from the start of the synto until I was pushing, I was stuck in an awful position on the bed, really uncomfortable and feel there was absolutely no need to be left tied to the monitor. I was just really fed up with how clinical it all felt.

[Lib76]

i had cfm and was still able to sit on ball lean over bed, stand up, walk a little. have no problem with it at all, really i was glad cause DS was in distress and ended up with emcs under GA! i would want it next time for sure after what happend to me!

[LoveBeingAMummy]

I can't even rememebr the montioring at all, in fact am quite disappointed as friend taked about watching it display go up with the contractions - I was too busy havingcontractions!!! I know they did as at one point decided to assist due to distress.

[MrsHappy]

I had CFM and was very uspet with it.

I am still not sure why I had it but after the birth it transpired that my notes claimed (wrongly) that I had been induced.

I was told off when my baby moved and they lost the trace.

I was admitted at only 1cm (as I had been due for induction) and was in pain and needed to move around but was constantly told that I needed to stay put "for 10 more minutes". This went on for hours and if I had had any sense I would have unstrapped the monitor and run away.

Once I was in active labour I did not get a single break from the monitoring. Because of the shape of my bump the monitor needed to go on the underside and fell off if I moved. So I had to lie on a bed, which was awful.

I would never accept CFM again without a damn good reason.

Oh, I should add that at no point did my DD become distressed. (I needed a cs because she became stuck, quite possibly because they did ARM and made me lie on a bed). Her mother, on the other hand, was very distressed indeed.

[franke]

During my last labour, I arrived at the hospital ready to push. Newly qualified doctor, with her nose in a text book "politely requested" that I lie on my back so that they could attach a monitor. I "politely" declined. She withdrew from the room, not to be seen again. A more senior doctor came in to keep an eye whilst my lovely midwife and dh (and I) got on with the business of getting ds2 out. I pushed for 30 mins and ds2 was born no problems.

Only afterwards did I realise that my brilliant midwife had attached the monitor whilst I was on my hands and knees pushing and got a full reading of the heartbeat for the 30 mins. So no, it didn't restrict me.

[wem]

The only niggly thing about my otherwise lovely homebirth 4 weeks ago was the monitoring of the baby's heart rate after every contraction with a doppler.

I was leant over a birthing ball and had to twist uncomfortably to allow access to the right spot. It may have been ok if it hadn't been given to the student midwife to do, she took a while finding it most times. The midwife was much quicker and I would have preferred her to take it each time.

Should have said something I suppose, but as I said, it was only a minor annoyance, both the student and the midwife were great otherwise.

[neversaydie]

I was induced when my blood pressure shot up a week before my due date. My son was facing upwards (wrong way) and I was an elderly and very overweight first time mother (41). I was continuosly monitored from the point they started the induction. I found listening to my sons heartbeat through labour incredibly reassuring, and the monitor kept my husband out of mischief..

They wanted to attach a wire to the babys head - due to his position they couldn't do it, to my very great relief.

[fishie]

i had an induction and all the worst that goes with it, right to the ecs and problems with bf.

after a few days with the pessaries and intermitten monitoring off i went for the final overnight drip induction.... on a bed, continuous fetal and maternal monitoring. i was so dreafully uncomfortable on the bed, mw had tilted it so that the monitor stayed on which meant that i was literally clinging on with my toes for 9 hours (after being awake for more than 50 hours).

she also refused to let me have any pain relief (including gas and air until i insisted she turn the drip down) because she said i wasn't having contractions. it later transpired one of the the monitors wasn't on properly so wasn't recording anything anyway.

[MrsTittleMouse]

I had an active labour in a MLU with occasional monitoring for DD1 - which was fine. But then DD failed to descend in the second stage and I was transferred to the CLU and forced onto my back so that they could do continuous monitoring. DD1 was OP and that position was extremely painful. I was literally writhing in agony - and was told off as the monitor wasn't staying on the heartbeat. The only position that I found bearable was one where they couldn't position the monitor properly. The midwife was lovely and held it on my abdomen with her hands so that I didn't have to lie flat on my back - but I was never given a reason why it was necessary and DD1 was never in distress. Like MrsHappy, the same couldn't be said for me.

[belgo]

I've had one hospital birth and two home water births.

During each birth the midwife monitored the baby's heart rate between contractions. I didn't find it intrusive, the midwives were always very good at allowing me to be in the position I needed to be in, even if it meant getting their sleeves wet in the water!

I found it immensely reassuring that all was still well with the baby.

[belgo]

MrsTittleMouse - that's awful, being made to lie on your back especially when the baby is OP, and especially when the baby wasn't in distress. Somestimes I think doctors fail to realise how painful child birth is.

[JFly]

After initial exam at hospital, I was told baby wasn't engaged enough to allow me to go into the birthing pool as they were concerned for the risk of cord prolapse. My only option if I wanted to get in the pool was an ARM, followed by 10 minutes of monitoring. 10 minutes turned into 5 hours as baby heart rate wasn't "good enough". Never did get in the pool. I was on the bed the entire time and endured back to back contractions.

Had emergency c-section in the end b/c I was bleeding and DS was in distress (placental abruption).

None of that was what I planned, but I realise once they started monitoring and DS wasn't doing well that it was necessary to continue. But wish I didn't have to be on the bed, especially at the beginning. An hour into it and I don't think I would have been able to stand up anyway!

[Wheelybug]

I had CFM as was induced early due to IUGR. I was on syntocin through a number of shift changes and it depended on who was my midwife as to what they would let me do. The first one wouldn't let me off the bed and I had to wee in a bed pan. The second one looked at me in amazement that I was weeing in a bed pan and told me to go to the bathroom and suggested I bounced on a ball. At no point did dd become distressed although I ended up with a c-sec because nothing really worked to get labour going.

[Wheelybug]

Meant to add - I am pregnant again and VERY keen to avoid CFM if I get to have a VBAC. If they can't agree to this before hand it would persuade me towards an elective c-sec although I would much prefer a VBAC.

[Littlefish]

I had a waterbirth. I don't remember the midwife monitoring the heartbeat at all, although I'm sure she must have done! She was obviously very skilled at making it as unobtrusive as possible.

The only point I remember her saying anything about it was right at the end, just before dd's head crowned when she said something to my dh about "the baby's heartrate is just starting to drop a little bit"

[DaisyMooSteiner]

farmerflower - what is your study for?

[solo]

YES!!! My MW stopped me labouring in my birthing pool because she wanted to get a 'good trace' from the baby before I got in, but every contraction I got, I had to sit up and forward, so she couldn't get one! p'd me off no end because I was only in the pool for about 20 minutes before Dd was born.

[solidgoldbrass]

I had the trapped-on-the-bed thing for a while (induced due to high blood pressure at 41 wks) with one cow of a midwife who kept saying, oh, just 20 minutes or so and disappearing for an hour. Luckily after 3 hours of this (and me throwing a major tantrum and threatening to go home) a different midwife came in, gave me another dose of prostin and informed me that I could 'stand on your head if you like as long as you keep the monitor on' so I was able to kneel, bounce, and pace in a small circle.
Once I was allowed to move and the 2nd dose had worked, I remember my friend watching the monitor and going, ooh that;s a big one and me saying yeah tell me about it...
You canmove with the thing strapped on, don't let them tell you different.

[yomellamoHelly]

With ds1 they did tell me not to let it stop me moving around, they could always readjust / reattach once I'd changed positions etc.
With ds2 got none of that and I did feel restricted (didn't move around as much and felt that slowed me down) and mw got fed up with having to come back and re-do it several times (got an air of humpf! off her). She annoyed me for a few reasons though!

[artichokes]

I was continuously monitored due to induction and pre-eclampsia. I found it very restrictive. I wanted to walk the corridors at the start but could not as I was attached to so many leads. Then I wanted to go in the bath and could not. Then I wanted to sit on a birth ball but the wires kept detaching. All in all it stopped me doing anything other than sitting in a rocking chair or lying on the bed. It made me feel like an invalid rather than an active strong person who could get the baby out. I beleive it was a significant contributer to my inability to cope without an epidural and finally my need for forceps.

[goingfor3]

I was continually monitored with my third baby. It didn't bother me at all. I think it was because I had polyhydraminous and ds was showing signs of distress. As it didn't bother me I didn't question it.

[farmerflower]

Littlefish
my study is looking at the evidence for and against different methods of Fetal heart monitoring. However alot of the evidence i feel is lacking in womens opinions of how it affected them in labour. Im shocked at how some have been treated - especially being given no explanation of why they are being monitored. I am a student MW and the whole "just another ten mins till we get a 'better' trace of baby's heartbeat" is painfully familiar sounding :-(