can you move around while being monitored?

[fallingandlaughing]

I am 36+3 and am due to be induced at 38 weeks for medical reasons (type 1 diabetes etc).

I am keen to have an active labour and my obstetrician says this is encouraged. However I am wondering how possible this is when being monitored continuously? I have been having CTG weekly for the past couple of weeks and I don't see how it is possible to move around with it. Am I wrong?

I was continuously monitored with DD2 and moved alot, the pads were held on with a tubigrip thing around my tummy.

with DD1 I was induced, but not continuously monitored, although the doctor said I would be...

I was monitored with my DS and could still stay upright and move about. I liked to dance through my contractions. Sometimes the thing slipped but I just repositioned it again. Better to keep active.

Hi, I'm new here but I've been lurking for a week or so to see what's what. I have type 1 diabetes and was induced with both DDs. I didn't have them in hte UK but can't imagine things are done much differently so my experiences were as follows...

DD1 - CTG in the morning followed by pessary. Long walk around the grounds. Nothing. Afternoon CTG and pessary.... long walk.... nothing. Day 2 - CTG and pessary, long walk... back to room and my waters broke. Contractions straight away. Synotocin drip, internal sensor to monitor contractions and internal monitor on babies head.... stuck to bed :( Needed a wee so they brought in the comode, refused to get off of it!! It was so much more comfortable but they only had one for everybody :( Ended up having an epidural which wasn't for me, didn't work and wasn't needed as was ready to push but didn't realise as was first baby :( After 11 hours DD1 was born :)

DD2 - CTG in the morning, 1 cm dilated, pessary. Long walk, cramps but nothing exciting. Examined at lunchtime, 2-3 cm dilated so they broke my waters, contractions straight away. Synotocin drip, internal monitors again...asked not to have them so I could be mobile but they wouldn't budge... however I'd done this before now and knew I didn't want to be stuck on teh bed again the whole time. So after a lot of fiddling they managed to get the drip wires to stretch over the other side (sods law with both LOs the drip was in the other arm to where the monitoring machines were, I'm a bugger to get them in, takes umpteen attempts and I end up like a pin cushion) so now I have no room to walk but I'm upright leaning on OH letting gravity do the work. This time I knew to push but nobody would believe me, except one lovely assistant took me seriously and 3 hours 20 later DD2 was born (ended up back on the bed for that bit without thinking)

So from my experience, you won't be able to be 'active' but you can be standing which helped hugely and able to pace a few steps. Though I think I'm in the minority in hating epidurals and finding them completely useless, so there's always that option too, then being immobile won't be an issue.

Good luck :)

Depends on what you mean by active F&L You won't be able to pace the corridors but the leads on the monitors are quite long and you should be able to stand, bounce on a ball, be on all fours on bed and poss on floor. When I was on all fours on the bed, they lost the trace but the trainee midwife held the monitor onto my tummy ( If there had just been one mw I'm sure DH could have done this).

Good luck with it all!!

You can also refuse CFM (which makes it hard to move unless they have a wireless system) and tell them that you want intermittent monitoring with a doppler (every 10-15 minutes or so)

thanks everyone, this is really useful.

I'd love to be properly active and even use the birthing pool or the shower but I know that's not going to happen. I will keep in mind to ask for the drip and monitors to be on the same side! I really want to sit and go on all fours so that seems a bit more possible that it has done when I have been on CTG in daycare and unable to move 2 inches without the belts coming off!

There are good reasons for CTG because mine is a very high risk pregnancy so I will be doing it, just want to minimise the curtailing effect. Will ask if they have it wireless though.

Feeling a bit more positive now, thanks again.

I only had to have intermittent monitoring but I thought I would be really active in labour but only wanted to sit bolt upright and grit my teeth through each contraction! My midwife kept encouraging me to move about (to help things along naturally - not that I was having a long labour anyway!) and the 3 of them ended up heaving me on to all 4s as I was refusing to move but they pointed out that it would all end quicker if I allowed gravity to help and that a baby was never going to come out of my fanjo was was pressed up against a mattress so you might find that you strap yourself to the bed

I only had to have intermittent monitoring but I thought I would be really active in labour but only wanted to sit bolt upright and grit my teeth through each contraction! My midwife kept encouraging me to move about (to help things along naturally - not that I was having a long labour anyway!) and the 3 of them ended up heaving me on to all 4s as I was refusing to move but they pointed out that it would all end quicker if I allowed gravity to help and that a baby was never going to come out of my fanjo was was pressed up against a mattress so you might find that you strap yourself to the bed

I refused CFM for my VBAC although as it happened I was almost 10cm by the time we got to the hospital anyway. The midwife held the monitor on me to check the baby rather than putting the straps on. I had been in a few hours earlier to check things were ok (my contractions were around 2 mins long from very early on and the hosp wanted to check all was fine) and foudn the monitor very restrictive. I was most comfortable kneeling and leaning forwards but the monitor kept losing the baby's heartbeat so I had to sit on the bed leaning backwards. Thankfully it was only for 15 minutes to get a reasonable trace. If I had had to be in that position in the later stages of labour I would not have coped and would no doubt have needed an epidural. So I think it really depends, you just don't know whether the baby's heartbeat will be picked up or not.

My name is Erika Thompson. I am an independent midwife in Ringwood and Dorset areas. Usually the midwives will request to monitor you continuously when the hormone drip is up. This is because they are changing the baby's environment and need to make sure he is happy with that. You can however move around as much as you can. You can stand, go on all fours and walk the length of the leads. Some units have telemetry monitors which have no leads. Obviously you can ask not to be continuously monitored until absolutely necessary, but once you do have the monitor just move around as you wish. I have delivered lots of people standing and all fours whiclst being monitored. Hope this reassures you a little.