Nursing Interventions During Labor and Birth

-Frequently assess a woman’s blood pressure, pulse and respirations and monitor fetal heart rate and
uterine contractions during labor for wome with heart disease t be certain their circulatory system is not
failing and the olacenta is filling adequately.

- a rapidly increasing Pulse rate(.100) is an indication a heart is pumping ineffectively and so has
increased its rate in an effort to compensate. Advise a woman to assume a side-lying position during
labor to reduce the possibility of supine hypotension syndrome.

-If a woman has Pulmonary edema, elevate her head and chest( a semi-fowlers position) to ease the
work of breathing.

-Fatigue is also an symptom of heart decompensation. Evaluate women carefully, to determine whether
the fatigue a woman repeorts is heart or labor related.

-Women with extreme heart disease may need oxygen andministered during labor because of the need
for extra oxygen due to the exertion of labor; continuous hemodynamic monitoring such as by a

Swan-Ganz catheter to monitor heart function may be prescribed.

-Epidural anesthesia, the anesthetic of choice for women with heart disease because this decreases the
sensation of pushing and can make both labor and birth less taxing.

-Low forceps and vacuum extractor may also be used for birth that is lack of pushing.

A woman may be disappointed during labor to learn that her labor is not going to be “normal”. States
that these measures may not what she anticipated, but they can help her achieve er ultimate goal, and it
is a healthy newborn and a mother able to care for her new baby.