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New baby monitor for Ridge Meadows Hospital

Maternity department at Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge delivers more than 800 babies a year

The Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation recently received $15,000 from the Loyal Protestant Association to help purchase a new fetal monitor with telemetry for the maternity department.

The maternity department at Ridge Meadows Hospital delivers more than 800 babies a year, an average of 67 a month. Of those, 10 a month are induced by an Oxytocin infusion. Inducing labor may be done for a variety of reasons, including pre-existing maternal health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, seizure disorder or hypertension.

The fetal monitor with telemetry will be used to monitor the fetus during labor in each of those situations, using sound waves to monitor the baby’s heart beat, allowing the mother to have full mobility as there are no wires to restrict her movement.

During contractions, the blood flow to the baby is reduced, causing the heart rate to drop temporarily. By monitoring the changes in heart rate, doctors will quickly know if the fetus is no longer handling contractions well. Identifying early signs of distress in the baby can reduce the complications seen in a traumatic birth, ultimately improving the health of the baby and mother.

“Every expectant mom will tell you that all they want is a healthy baby. In order to provide the best possible outcome for each of these moms, and their newborns, the medical team needs the right tools,” said George Ferguson, Loyal Protestant Association director.

“We are fortunate to have an excellent team of physicians and health care professionals at Ridge Meadows Hospital and we need to provide them with tools of the highest calibre.”