Covenant HealthCare staff with a patient.
Triplet pregnancies traditionally require care teams to run multiple fetal monitors simultaneously, a setup that adds complexity for clinicians and can be stressful for families during labor and delivery.
The first-of-its-kind OBIX triplet monitoring system at Covenant HealthCare lets care teams track three babies’ heart rates throughout labor and delivery on a single tracing system.
Close and accurate monitoring matters, especially with multifetal pregnancies that carry a higher risk for both mother and babies. Before this technology, tracking three fetal heart rates during a triplet delivery meant coordinating multiple machines. The OBIX system consolidates monitoring on one screen, letting the care team watch all three simultaneously rather than toggling between devices.
“We’re thrilled to have the ability to monitor triplet pregnancies on one machine,” said Shelley Fewer, Clinical Outcomes Nurse Specialist, Covenant HealthCare Birth Center. “A multifetal pregnancy increases the risk of complications for both the mother and babies. By using the most up-to-date technology available, we’re confident in providing the safest care and identifying concerns as early as possible.”
Simplifying the process helps reduce stress in the delivery room while maintaining accurate monitoring throughout labor. The additional bedside support from providers is invaluable for parents and can help them feel more at ease.
Even as triplet pregnancies grow rarer nationally, they remain high-risk and continue to carry a markedly higher chance of preterm birth, low birth weight and NICU admission than singleton or twin pregnancies. This is where specialized monitoring technology, like the new system at Covenant, can make a meaningful difference for the families who need it.
Covenant Children’s Hospital provides specialized maternal and neonatal care for families throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region and beyond, as a Joint Commission-verified Level III Birth Center and home to the region’s only Level III Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The new monitoring system builds on that longstanding commitment to safety and specialized expertise, ensuring families facing high-risk multifetal pregnancies have access to advanced care when it matters most.
For additional program information, visit the Covenant HealthCare website. To learn about other stories of innovation advancing care across Michigan, visit mihospitals.org. Members with questions may contact the MHA communications department.
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Source: www.mha.org
