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Listening to the baby's heart rate during labour and birth tells the care providers how your baby is tolerating the normal changes in blood flow that occur with contractions. There are two methods used to monitor your baby's heart rate: periodic assessments, called intermittent auscultation (IA) or continuous assessment with an electronic fetal monitor (EFM). IA is done using a handheld Doppler device, a stethoscope-like device called a fetoscope, or one part of the electronic fetal heart monitor. EFM uses wide, stretchy bands holding two electronic disks called transducers against your abdomen, one to monitor your baby's heartbeat and the other to track your contractions. This is not painful, but some women find it uncomfortable to have the transducers strapped to them and it limits your walking around. EFM can also be done with internal monitors as well.
Research is showing that routine continuous electronic fetal monitoring for healthy women is unnecessary in many circumstances, and intermittent auscultation will provide all the information needed. The method that is used depends on your healthcare provider, your risk of problems at your birth, the type of pain relief you may be using and how your labour is going.
For more information on the types of fetal heart rate monitoring in labour, when you may need each type, and what to expect during this process, please see the resources below.