Foetal hypoxia

Breast milk is the best possible nutrition for your baby. Close contact with your baby – skin-to-skin bonding – not just in the first few hours of life, is the first step towards successful breastfeeding.

Hypoxia is a condition in which the foetus suffers from a lack of oxygen.

During labour, we regularly monitor the condition of the baby being born and its response to uterine activity. The most reliable method is to record the foetal heart rate in conjunction with a record of uterine contractions, foetal movements and the mother’s heart rate – known as cardiotocography (CTG). We usually start monitoring with the first CTG upon admission to the delivery room, then again after three hours in the case of uncomplicated births, and also always during the second stage of labour. If the findings are slightly abnormal, we check the CTG at more frequent intervals, or even continuously if necessary. Sometimes the quality of the recording can be improved, for example, by changing position and decompressing the umbilical cord; at other times, by administering medication to suppress excessive uterine activity. If the recording is grossly abnormal, it is necessary to deliver the baby quickly, depending on the stage of labour, by emergency caesarean section or vaginal extraction, most commonly using a vacuum extractor, in order to prevent harm to the baby.