This method is used to determine how a baby is progressing through the birth canal. ProsĬervical examination to determine fetal station can be a fast and painless. Over time, if a baby isn’t progressing through the cervix, a doctor may need to consider delivery by cesarean delivery or with the help of instruments like forceps or vacuum. Other measurements your doctor may take into account include cervical dilation, or how much your cervix has enlarged for your baby to pass through, and cervical effacement, or how thin your cervix has become to promote delivery. It helps doctors evaluate how labor is progressing. See your doctor if there is pain or burning when you urinate.įetal station is important to monitor. Frequent, small amounts of urine are common. You will feel more room for deep breaths, but your bladder may be compressed so you’ll need to urinate often. This drop into the birth canal is called a lightening. This is called being “engaged.” At this point, your baby is at station 0. Usually about two weeks before delivery, your baby will drop into the birth canal. However, assigning a number is an estimate. Once your baby’s head fills the vaginal opening, just before birth, the fetal station is +5.Įach change in number usually means your baby has descended another centimeter into your pelvis. When your baby’s head is level with the ischial spines, the fetal station is zero.
If the head is high and not yet engaged in the birth canal, it may float away from their fingers.Īt this stage, the fetal station is -5. The ischial spines are bony protrusions located in the narrowest part of your pelvis.ĭuring a vaginal exam, your doctor will feel for your baby’s head. Your doctor will then assign a number from -5 to +5 to describe where your baby is in relation to the ischial spines. A doctor will usually perform a cervical check to determine how wide your cervix is and how far down your baby has moved.
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