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Foetal heart rate monitor warning

(BBC 06/11/2009)

Doctors are warning expectant parents that at-home foetal heart rate monitors should only be used for "fun" and not as an alternative to medical advice. The devices, which pick up the sound of the baby's heartbeat, can give "false reassurance", the British Medical Journal reports. They can also cause unnecessary anxiety in untrained hands, doctors warn. The Royal College of Midwives said the availability of the devices was of concern to their members.

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Foetal kick charts 'inaccurate'

(BBC 16/10/2009)

Foetal kick charts, used to determine if a pregnancy is progressing well, are inaccurate and should be discontinued, according to Irish researchers. The charts are used by around 5% of doctors in the UK but are more common in the Republic of Ireland and the US. Researchers from Cork University say the charts rely on the mother's perceptions and may lead to miscounts of a baby's movements. They recommend checking the foetal heart rate instead.

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Cooling 'cuts baby brain damage'

(BBC 30/09/2009)

Babies who are starved of oxygen at birth have a much lower risk of brain damage if they are given mild hypothermia, major research suggests. More than 300 babies were involved in a trial carried out at 33 hospitals in the UK and in five other countries. Researchers found full-term babies who suffered oxygen loss at birth were 57% more likely to survive without brain damage if their bodies were cooled. The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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