Continuous electronic fetal monitoring became routine in U.S. maternity care with the promise of improving fetal outcomes. But for low risk labor, continuous monitoring has not been shown to improve long-term neonatal outcomes compared with intermittent auscultation and is associated with increased cesarean and operative vaginal birth.

IA offers an evidence-based alternative while allowing greater freedom to move, position changes, use of water, and hands-on support.

But making IA available safely and consistently takes more than changing a policy.

Clinicians need opportunities to learn, practice, and demonstrate the skills required to perform and interpret IA reliably.

That is where this course comes in.

In a recent episode of ACNM's Discover Midwives podcast, Step Up Together founder Amy Romano joined host Jessica Brumley to explore why intermittent auscultation is connected to something much larger than the choice of fetal monitoring technology.

Routine continuous monitoring can influence where and how labor progresses, where clinicians focus their attention, and how much hands-on support occurs at the bedside.

As Jessica put it during their conversation:

Expanding access to IA can support physiologic birth and patient choice—but education is only the beginning. Sustainable implementation also requires policies, competency, measurement, leadership, and a culture that supports clinicians in putting those skills into practice.