Final answer:
We monitor the fetus during labour to ensure the safety of both the baby and mother, watch for signs of distress, and manage any emerging complications. Fetal monitoring helps guide potential medical interventions and checks that the placenta is wholly expelled to prevent postpartum issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
During labour, it is crucial to monitor the fetus in order to ensure the safety and well-being of both the baby and the mother. The process of labour includes powerful muscular contractions to expel the fetus and the placenta from the uterus, with a series of physiological changes toward the end of the third trimester that lead to these events. Monitoring involves assessing the fetal heart rate and the strength and frequency of uterine contractions to identify any signs of distress or abnormal patterns that could indicate potential complications such as hypoxia (low oxygen levels in the fetus) or other issues.
The reason we monitor the fetus during labour is to ensure the progressing stages, including cervical dilation to about 10 cm, the expulsion of the baby, and the passage of the placenta, are all proceeding normally. Assessing fetal well-being during labour can signal when interventions, such as administering synthetic oxytocin or performing a cesarean section, may be necessary to safely deliver the baby. Doctors also examine the expelled placenta and fetal membranes to ensure that they are intact, as fragments left behind can cause postpartum hemorrhage, and the process called involution is confirmed, where the uterus returns to its pre-pregnancy size and the mother's abdominal organs reposition.