Fetal Monitors

Jacks Mummy!! <3 asked:


where can i purchase a fetal heart monitor. im 15 weeks and would like one. i got one today but i cant hear it untill im 21 weeks.any ideas where i can get a cheap one?

Willie

Naka asked:


At my clinic, I was put on the fetal monitor that checks the baby’s heartbeat and your contractions. When I got home, I noticed I had three red circles on my belly, like some kind of irritation. And when I returned for my next appointment a week later, I mentioned it to the nurse and she tried a different gel. But the same thing happpened! Does anyone know why I got that, or how to prevent it?

Audrey

New mommy to baby Alexia! asked:


Since i had decreased fetal movements I told my doctor about it today, and he hooked me up to a fetal monitor, then he came back and said the baby was fine…

Just wondering if this is the way they find out/?? (by the way my baby still moves more than `10 times an hour in her active hours, just decreased movement throughout the day)

Renee

☆Lindsey & Jackson☆ asked:


I saw a Fetal Dopler Monitor at Wal-Mart by Bebe Sounds for $19.95. I want to buy it, so I can hear the baby as often as I’d like. But, the problem is I’m only 18 weeks. (4 1/2 months). I was wondering if I’d be able to hear the baby with that monitor at this point or if I should wait. I want to buy it tomorrow, ha ha.

Vincent

Michael Webb asked:


Gestational diabetes is a common condition of pregnancy where a woman has high blood sugars during the pregnancy but didn’t have high blood sugars before becoming pregnant. It can often mean, however, that a woman is prone to diabetes in her future but this is not universal.

Most women find out they have gestational diabetes because they have a special test done in diabetes called a one hour glucose tolerance test or “1 hr GTT”. This involves drinking around 50 grams of glucose in the doctor’s office. The blood sugar is tested one hour after drinking the liquid. If this test is elevated further tests are performed to confirm the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

Women with gestational diabetes normally just need to watch their weight gain and their sugar intake while the doctor does closer monitoring of the pregnancy. Very rarely, the woman will need to take insulin during the pregnancy to keep the blood sugar down.

The biggest complication of gestational diabetes is that of having infants which are larger for their gestational age. Large babies have a higher incidence of having to be born by Cesarean section and there is a higher risk of birth trauma or complications. Just because the infant is big doesn’t mean the infant is mature. The baby can weigh ten pounds but still be born with immature lungs.

There are more problems with the pregnancy in gestational diabetes. Frequent tests called fetal non-stress tests must be done to make sure the baby is still healthy. Anytime the non-stress test is not showing normal fetal activity, the infant may have to be delivered early, even if he or she is not particularly full term yet.

After the pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes, the infant can have problems with very low blood sugar. This is because its pancreas has been putting out insulin in high amounts during the pregnancy-amounts of insulin that are not needed after the baby is born. The blood sugar can become so dangerously low that the baby will need to have intravenous sugar for a period of time until the pancreas settles down. In milder cases, the blood sugar is monitored carefully while the infant is fed formula as early as possible to bring the blood sugar up.

Babies born from mothers with gestational diabetes will have a higher risk for breathing problems after birth. After a few days of oxygen and monitoring, the baby generally resolves without incident. As the baby is born fat, it is at risk for developing obesity of childhood and all of the complications that go with that. As adults, these children are at risk for developing gestational diabetes or type II diabetes themselves.

Once a woman has gestational diabetes, she is at risk for developing the condition again. She is also at risk for developing type II diabetes. If she gets pregnant without controlling her type II diabetes, there is a higher risk of birth defects in the developing infant who was exposed to higher than normal blood sugars during key stages of embryonic development.



Robin

jhewz asked:


cindy bell, a 20 y/o gravida 2, para 1 at 40 weeks gestation, presents to you in the birthing unit with contractions every 5-7mins. She is accompanied by her husband. Spontaneous rupture of membranes occured 2″ prior to admission. Cindy tells you that the field was colorless and clear. You orient Cindy and he family to the birthing room & perform a physical assessment, documenting the ff. data: VS are normal. A vaginal exam demonstrate the cervix is 75% effaced, 4cm dilated w/ a vertext at (-1) station in the LOP position. You place on an external fetal monitor. The FHR baseline is 140-147 w/ accelerations to 156bpm no accelerations are noted. Contractions are 5-6mins. apart, moderate intensity and lasting 40-50secs. Cindy states she would like to stay out of bed as long as possible bec. lying down seems to make the contractions more painful, especially in her back.

Suzanne

New Mom (Bday 11/5) asked:


This might be a silly question, but it’s my first pregnancy and I’ve been trying to figure out how I can tell the baby is still ok during labor without the use of the fetal monitor constantly, so I can move around. Can you still feel your baby’s movements during contractions, or are contractions just too strong? What about between contractions? Obviously, if you get the epidural, you won’t feel much, but otherwise, is it possible? I was just wondering. Thank you!

Darryl

Edi Hung asked:


Preeclampsia is also called pregnancy-induced hypertension, toxemia of pregnancy, or acute hypertensive disease of pregnancy. Preeclampsia acts as a disorder that occurs during pregnancy, which is related to pregnancy-induced hypertension. Characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine, preeclampsia usually occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy. Sometimes referred to as pregnancy toxemia, preeclampsia can range from mild to severe. Without proper care and management, preeclampsia can cause a number of serious health complications, including preterm labor, seizures, and even death.

The hypertension component of Preeclampsia is present when the systolic blood pressure is greater than 140 mm Hg or the diastolic blood pressure is greater than 90 mm Hg in a woman known to be normotensive prior to pregnancy. The diagnosis requires 2 such abnormal blood pressure measurements recorded at least 6 hours apart.



Causes of Preeclampsia

The precise cause of Preeclampsia is unknown. But there are some causes which will increase the risk of suffering Preeclampsia. These causes include:

1, Having chronic hypertension (high blood pressure before becoming pregnant)

2, Having diabetes, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus (SLE), or scleroderma

3, Having developed high blood pressure or preeclampsia during a previous pregnancy (especially if these conditions occurred early in the pregnancy).

4, Being obese prior to pregnancy

5, Being pregnant under the age of 20 or over the age of 40

6, Being pregnant with more than one baby

7, Insufficient blood flow to the uterus

8, Damage to the blood vessels

9, A problem with the immune system

10,Poor diet

People who are at the risk of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia occurs in 5% to 8% of all pregnancies in the United States. Though any pregnant women can develop preeclampsia, the vast majority of sufferers are women experiencing their first pregnancies.

Other risk factors area also known to increase your chances of developing the condition, including:

1, having a personal history of preeclampsia (in a previous pregnancy)

2, having a family history of preeclampsia (mother or sister developed it)

3, being obese

4, being teenager or a women over the age of 40

5, having a history of high blood pressure

6, experiencing a multiple pregnancy

7, suffering from an autoimmune disorder (such as Lupus or Multiple Sclerosis)

How to recognize Preeclampsia

The most common symptoms of preeclampsia are:

1, High blood pressure

2, Excessive swelling in hands, face and other parts of your body

3, Abdominal pain

4, Large amounts of protein in your urine

5, Small amounts of urine

6, Blood in your urine

7, Severe headaches

8, Vomiting blood

9, Dizziness

10 Fever

11 Double vision

12 Blurred vision

13 Rapid weight gain (more than 2 pounds per week)

14 Nausea and vomiting



How Preeclampsia can affect you and your baby

There are vast majority of preeclampsia sufferers who experienced only mild symptoms, but some pregnant women can develop severe preeclampsia. When severe, preeclampsia can create a number of health complications for mom:

1, increased risk of stroke (due to high blood pressure)

2, kidney and liver dysfunction

3, eclampsia (a condition which causes the development of seizures)

4, HELLP syndrome (the most severe form or preeclampsia)

Preeclampsia, if left untreated, it can lead to abruptio placenta, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral vascular accident, acute renal failure, and intrauterine growth restrictions for the fetus.

1, Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Due to high blood pressure levels and narrow uterine arteries, blood flow to your placenta can become restricted. This means that your baby will receive less oxygen and nutrients while in the womb. As a result, your baby may not develop properly or could be born with a low birthweight.

2, Acidosis

If your baby does not receive enough oxygen from the placenta, he will begin extracting oxygen from fuel stores in his body. This produces a toxic byproduct known as lactic acid. If this lactic acid builds up to high levels, it can result in acidosis, which can render your baby unconscious.

3, Preterm Birth

The biggest complication of Preeclampsia is preterm birth. Because preeclampsia can become dangerous for both mother and baby, it is sometimes necessary to deliver baby before 36 weeks. This can result in possible developmental problems and even fetal death.



Treatment for Preeclampsia

1, Allow frequent monitoring of both you and your baby by your doctor. When a woman has been diagnosed with preeclampsia, it’s very important to monitor the situation closely. Monitoring includes frequent ultrasounds, biophysical profiles, non-stress tests, blood pressure checks, weigh-ins for the mom and checking the amount of protein present in the mom’s urine.

2, Go on bed rest, either at home or in the hospital, if it’s too early to deliver the baby. For mild cases of preeclampsia, bed rest at home can be indicated. Bed rest helps increase blood flow to the baby and helps lower the mom’s blood pressure. In cases of severe preeclampsia, bed rest at the hospital is likely. Being at the hospital can allow for closer monitoring of both the mom and the baby.

3, Take medications prior to delivery to help with preeclampsia. Corticosteroids can help mature the baby’s lungs in case early delivery occurs. Taking drugs, such as hydralazine, can help lower the mom’s blood pressure and prevent preeclampsia from progressing. Your personal doctor will know which medications are best for you and your baby.

4, Deliver the baby. Delivery is the only real cure for preeclampsia. If the baby is at or near full term and a woman is diagnosed with preeclampsia, labor may be immediately induced or a caesarean section scheduled. If it’s too early to deliver the baby, doctors may try to hold off delivery using the other treatments described in this article until delivery is absolutely necessitated.

5, Use the drug magnesium sulfate during labor and delivery. For women with preeclampsia, magnesium sulfate can help prevent seizures in the mom during delivery and help increase blood flow to the baby and the placenta. IVs are often used to administer magnesium sulfate to the mom during delivery.

Tips:

Depending on the disease severity, the management varies. There have been several nonpharmacological therapies shown to be helpful in the prevention or, at the least, the progression of preeclampsia. “Eight milligrams of baby aspirin can be of some benefit to the at-risk mother as well as 2 grams of calcium daily,” says Atlas. Women should avoid taking vitamin E while pregnant because of the higher risk of developing preeclampsia, Atlas adds.



Rosa