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Friday, March 5, 2010

Early Decelerations

Early decelerations follow the shape of the contraction, but inverted. The heart rate begins to dip as the contraction starts. The bottom of the dip is at the peak of the contraction, and it returns back to baseline at the end of the contraction. It looks somewhat like a U-shape. The descent and return are also gradual, and they rarely dip below 40 beats per min. below baseline.

It is thought that these are caused by the cervix overriding the front fontanel of the baby's head. This causes an altered cerebral blood flow, with a subsequent slowing of the FHR due to what is called the Vagal reflex. It usually occurs between 4 to 6 cm of dilation, and is not an indication of a decrease in oxygen.

References:
Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 5th ed. Gabbe et al.
Fanaroff and Martin's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 8th ed. Martin et al.
Posted by Rachel at 12:08 PM
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Birth is a Journey: Does it have to be life changing?


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  • One woman may buy an airplane ticket, sit on a comfortable 747 and fly to America with a nice smooth flight and landing. She is happy to be in America. Those welcoming her are glad she is here safe and sound. She may only travel by plane 2-4 times in her life, so it is pretty memorable. But the journey itself probably wouldn’t be life changing; it would simply be a journey.
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