CTG
The short definition
A CTG is a machine that records the baby's heart rate and the contractions at the same time, continuously.
What it actually means
CTG is short for cardiotocograph. Two round discs sit on the tummy, held on by a soft belt. One disc picks up the baby's heart rate and the other picks up the contractions.
Both are drawn on a strip of paper or a screen at once. That is the whole point of the machine — it shows the heart rate next to the contraction that was happening at the time.
Some CTG machines use wires, which limits how far the belt can go. Some hospitals have wireless ones instead.
Where Dadda will hear it
In the delivery suite, as "let's pop a CTG on" — usually said to the room rather than to him. He may also hear the word in the third trimester, because the hospital talks about monitoring before labour starts.
Routine CTG monitoring is not recommended for an uncomplicated labour. So a dad who expected a machine and does not get one is not being short-changed.
Not to be confused with
- A Doppler. A Doppler is the small handheld device a midwife holds against the tummy to listen to the heartbeat at an appointment. It listens at a moment. A CTG records over time.
- Something for him to read. Doctors and midwives are trained to read a CTG. Watching the numbers is not a job that has been handed to him, and the printout is not an exam he can pass.