When should the measurement start? | Monitoring of heart sounds and contractions

When should the measurement start?

In principle, a contraceptive pen is more useful for monitoring advanced pregnancy or the birth process. In case of imminent premature birth or risk constellations of the mother such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, infections, vaginal bleeding or abnormalities of the child in the ultrasound, a CTG examination should already be performed from the 25th week of pregnancy. If the course of the pregnancy is otherwise unremarkable, the cardiotocogram (CTG for short) is usually carried out from the 30th week of pregnancy as part of the preventive examinations and repeated every 14 days until the date of birth.

If the unborn child is transferred, i.e. if the pregnancy continues after the calculated date of delivery, the CTG examination should also be repeated at shorter intervals. Before the birth itself, a cardiotocogram (abbreviated: CTG) is routinely performed to better monitor the fetal condition before birth. The main purpose of this examination is to measure the child’s reaction to the contractions and whether he or she is properly prepared for the upcoming birth. Usually, a 30-minute cardiotocogram (CTG) is then recorded every two hours.

In labor pains

A good sign for a spontaneous birth without complications is when the baby responds well to the mother’s contractions. During a contraction, the mother’s abdomen is compressed so that the blood supply and thus the oxygen supply to the baby is cut off for a short time. 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.

The baseline should then reach its lowest value around the peak of the contraction. After all, the first reaction of an unborn child to a reduced oxygen supply is always a reduction in heart rate. However, this deceleration should also quickly subside and the child’s baseline should rise to its initial value. If this does not happen or if the deceleration is delayed, this should definitely be observed further, as this could be an indication of a lack of oxygen supply to the child. In the worst case, an emergency caesarean section could be necessary to prevent further damage to the child’s health.