This study explored women’s experiences with antenatal CTG monitoring and their understanding of its purpose. It revealed limited information was shared by healthcare professionals, leading to inadequate informed consent. It’s a great reminder of how important it is to have access to accurate information that supports decision-making regarding fetal monitoring.
Much of the focus in research about fetal monitoring in labour has been on outcomes for the fetus / baby. Not as much has looked at women’s outcomes, and even less has looked at what women say about their experiences with CTG monitoring. But there has been some research, and a team of researchers recently pulled it all together in the one place (Murray et al., 2024). Murray and colleagues […]
CTG monitoring during pregnancy is called non-stress testing in some parts of the world. This is to distinguish it from stress testing, where low doses of oxytocin or nipple stimulation are used to provoke contractions so the way the fetal heart rate responds to contractions can be observed. The term non-stress testing is rather ironic however, as there is a body of evidence showing higher levels of anxiety in women […]
What are the psychological consequences of CTG monitoring? Sadly, we don’t actually know….
What is the relationship between maternal stress and fetal heart rate patterns? And what does this mean for maternity care?
Birth Small Talk 