Machine that displays and often records the heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation of the baby. An alarm may sound if one or a number of these vital signs are abnormal. For example, in a normal infant the heart rate is usually between 120 and 180 beats per minute and oxygen saturation should be above 90%. False alarms are common, as abrupt movements can cause the monitor to register inaccurate readings — a good general rule of thumb is ‘Look at the baby, not the monitor.’
