In labor pains | Which CTG values are normal?

In labor pains

Synchronous to the mother’s contractions, decelerations or dips in the child’s heart rate can occur. Physically, this can be explained by the fact that during a contraction, the mother’s abdomen is compressed so that the blood supply and thus the oxygen supply to the child is temporarily cut off. If the contraction is strong enough, a deceleration of the child’s heart rate can also be observed in the CTG at the beginning of the contraction.

If this is the case, this indicates that the child is responding rather well to the contractions. However, further differentiation of the dips is necessary. If the dips are in principle rather irregular, last only briefly (less than 30 seconds) and occur independently of contractions, they can be classified as completely harmless.

Decelerations that occur approximately synchronously with the onset of labor are also considered a good sign and indicate that the child is responding well to the contractions. The baseline should reach its maximum at the peak of the contraction itself and return to the average baseline after the contraction. Delayed or prolonged dips, on the other hand, can be a sign that the baby is not receiving sufficient oxygen and that a birth initiation procedure should be considered.