Fetal-pulse-wave-velocity-related-information obtaining apparatus and childbirth monitoring apparatus

A childbirth monitoring apparatus, comprising:

• a labor-pain-waveform detecting device which detects a labor-pain waveform representing a change of a degree of a labor pain of a mother;
• a heart-rate-related-information obtaining device which iteratively obtains respective sets of heart-rate-related information each of which is related to a heart rate of a fetus;
• a heartbeat-synchronous-signal detecting device at least a portion of which is adapted to be worn on at least one of the fetus and the mother so as to detect a heartbeat-synchronous signal produced from a proximal portion of the fetus;
• a pulse-wave detecting device which detects a pulse wave from a distal portion of the fetus that is located on a distal side of the proximal portion of the fetus;
• and
• a pulse-wave-velocity-related-information obtaining means for iteratively obtaining, based on the heartbeat-synchronous signal detected by the heartbeat-synchronous-signal detecting device and the pulse wave detected by the pulse-wave detecting device, respective sets of pulse-wave-velocity-related information each of which is related to a velocity at which the pulse wave propagates in the fetus.

A fetal-pulse-wave-velocity-related-information obtaining apparatus, comprising:

• a heartbeat-synchronous-signal detecting device at least a portion of which is adapted to be worn on at least one of a fetus and a mother so as to detect a heartbeat-synchronous signal produced from a proximal portion of the fetus;
• a pulse-wave detecting device which detects a pulse wave from a distal portion of the fetus that is located on a distal side of the proximal portion of the fetus;
• and
• a pulse-wave-velocity-related-information obtaining device which iteratively obtains, based on the heartbeat-synchronous signal, detected by the heartbeat-synchronous-signal detecting device and the pulse wave detected by the pulse-wave detecting device, respective sets of pulse-wave-velocity-related information each of which is related to a velocity at which the pulse wave propagates in the fetus.