External monitoring machine numbers mean...?

[LadyRaven]

I went to hospital the other night with bleeding. They strapped a machine on my tummy to measure Ryans heart beat and uterus contractions. The uterus contractions numbers went from 1-98 but stayed sort of around 20ish till I felt tightening. Just wondering what the numbers meant and what sorts of figures you'd get with a full labor contraction not just a period pain like cramp.

[aussienic]

Someone i was talking to just yesterday said around 60-80 ( i think) is a contraction...

Hope that helps

[Alan]

Hi CelticMoon
The numbers you are talking about mean very little on their own. They are used mainly to time your contraction and to check how happy your baby is (when used in conjunction with your baby's heartbeat). The numbers will be different between women when having a 'good' contraction. They could also be different for the same woman depending on where the sensor has been placed, if the baby has moved and if you have changed position. So if you get a reading of 120 it does not necessarily mean that your contraction is stronger that someone who's reading is only 70.

[Alan]

Forgot to add.
20ish is the number we use as a baseline. You may have notice the midwife press a button on the machine after she put the sensors on and after she asked you if you are having a contraction. This sets the machine to start at 20ish when your uterus is not contracting.

[Alan]

Hi Aussienic
A number of 40 could be a good contraction depending on the things in my previous posts

[LadyRaven]

Thanks for that Alan, they said I had a very happy little baby I think his HB only went up a little bit during the cramping, they said it was all normal I was just wondering what the numbers meant. Can the bubs hear the monitor they put on your tummy? Ryan changed sides away from it and started kicking the crap out of it so they had to move it a few times lol

[Alan]

Hi CelticMoon
There is some suggestion that your baby can feel/hear the waves put out by these machines.