The variability of fetal breathing movements in normal human fetuses at term.

With the use of a B-scan phase-locked tracking system, 108 observations of fetal breathing were performed on 97 normal antenatal patients at term. One hundred thirty-three recorded segments of fetal breathing movements were obtained. Breath-to-breath variability was analyzed in 79 segments and expressed as a coefficient of variability.

Prolonged pregnancy: surveillance of the fetus and the neonate and the course of labor and delivery.

The perinatal events in 184 term control pregnancies and 129 prolonged pregnancies were prospectively compared. Fetal surveillance consisted of weekly biophysical profile testing. Thirty-two infants were dysmature, and 10 of these had advanced dysmaturity.