Monitors can be found on pendants that hang from the ceiling on each side of the baby’s cot or attached to the wall. 

The monitor will display a different coloured trace, or line, for each vital sign. The number of vital signs being monitored will depend on how well or unwell your baby is at the time.

• Heart rate (white) – measures the number of heart beats per minute and the baseline pattern (or rhythm) of your baby’s heartbeat. The measurements come from leads on your baby’s skin.
• Respiratory rate (yellow) – measures the number of breaths per minute your baby is taking, from leads on the skin.
• Oxygen saturation (pink) – measures the percentage of oxygen in your baby’s blood.  The measurements come from one or two leads on a hand or foot.
• Blood pressure (green) – measures the blood pressure from a cuff on your baby’s arm or leg that inflates at regular intervals.
• Arterial blood pressure (red - not shown here) – measures continuous blood pressure from a monitor on a catheter placed inside your baby’s artery (blood vessel), usually in the wrist or ankle.
• Transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitor – measures the amount of carbon dioxide in your baby’s blood from a lead placed on the skin.
• End-tidal carbon monoxide monitor – measures the amount of carbon dioxide your baby breathes out through their breathing tube.

The bedside nurse will be able to tell you the targets for your baby’s ‘vital signs’.