[Submitted Question]

Is it true that contractions drop the baby’s heart rate? If so, what if my contractions are really strong and last a long time, is she in danger?

[WombToBloom]

Contractions don’t always drop the baby’s heart rate but it is not uncommon in the latter part of the labor, just before the baby is born. The contraction puts pressure on the baby’s head and the heart beat drops in response. Sometimes the cord is clamped off during the contraction and the heart rate drops. If these are the cases, the drop in heart beat is a mirror image of the contraction on the monitor.

If the heart rate drops in the middle of the contraction and doesn’t come up until after the contraction is over, this is called a “late deceleration” and is actually a sign of fetal distress. When a doctor sees late decelerations, he knows it is time to deliver the baby, either vaginally if it is imminent or by cesarean section, if the delivery is far away. Other times, the heart beat doesn’t drop at all during the contractions and the baby is happy throughout the labor and delivery. So it really depends on the situation and on what the fetus is doing.