Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- About this book
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1. Understanding the fetus during labour
- 1. What is fetal wellbeing?
- 2. How is the condition of the fetus monitored clinically during pregnancy?
- 3. Is it helpful to count the fetal heart rate during pregnancy?
- 4. What clinical signs can be used to monitor the fetal condition during labour?
- 5. What else should be monitored during labour?
- 6. How do you decide whether a woman is in labour?
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2. Monitoring the fetal heart rate during labour
- 7. What are the stages of labour?
- 8. Should the fetal heart rate always be monitored in labour?
- 9. Should the fetal heart rate be monitored throughout labour?
- 10. How can the fetal heart rate be monitored?
- 11. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a fetal stethoscope?
- 12. What are the advantages and disadvantages most fetal monitors?
- 13. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a cardiotocograph?
- 14. Which method of fetal heart rate monitoring should be used?
- 15. What are the advantages of the Philips fetal monitor?
- 16. Why is it so important to monitor the fetal heart rate during labour?
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3. Fetal stress during labour
- 17. What may stress the fetus during labour?
- 18. How does head compression affect the fetus?
- 19. What may reduce the supply of oxygen to the fetus?
- 20. How do contractions reduce the supply of oxygen to the fetus?
- 21. How does the fetus obtain an adequate supply of oxygen during normal uterine contractions?
- 22. When do uterine contractions reduce the supply of oxygen to the fetus?
- 23. How does the fetus respond to a lack of oxygen during labour?
- 24. How is fetal distress recognised during labour?
- 4. Assessing the fetal condition during labour
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5. Assessing fetal heart rate
- 27. How should you monitor the fetal heart rate?
- 28. How often should you routinely monitor the fetal heart rate?
- 29. Which women are considered to have a high risk of fetal distress?
- 30. How often must the fetal heart rate be monitored if there is a high risk of fetal distress?
- 31. What features of the fetal heart rate pattern should you always assess during labour?
- 32. What is the normal baseline fetal heart rate?
- 33. What is a deceleration?
- 34. How do decelerations relate to the timing of contractions?
- 35. What is an acceleration?
- 36. What fetal heart rate patterns can easily be recognised with a fetal monitor?
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6. Fetal heart rate patterns
- 37. What is the normal fetal heart rate pattern during labour?
- 38. What is the importance of a normal fetal heart rate pattern?
- 39. Which fetal heart rate patterns are not normal during labour?
- 40. What is a baseline tachycardia?
- 41. What are the causes of a baseline tachycardia?
- 42. What is a baseline bradycardia?
- 43. What is the cause of a baseline bradycardia?
- 44. What are early decelerations?
- 45. What is the significance of early decelerations?
- 46. What are late decelerations?
- 47. What is the significance of repeated late decelerations?
- 48. What are variable decelerations?
- 49. How should you assess the condition of the fetus on the basis of the fetal heart rate pattern?
- 50. Which fetal heart rate patterns indicate an increased risk of fetal distress during labour?
- 51. What fetal heart rate patterns indicate fetal distress during labour?
- 52. What questions should be asked when the fetal heart rate pattern is assessed during labour?
- 53. What fetal heart rate pattern is abnormal during the second stage of labour?
- 7. Using a partogram
- 8. Managing a woman with fetal decelerations
- 9. Managing fetal distress
- 10. When to use a cardiotocograph