What to Expect With a Baby's Heartbeat When You're Expecting

A normal fetal heartbeat can range between 110 to 160 beats a minute, compared to 60 to 100 beats per minute in adults. You can't hear the fetal heartbeat from outside the womb without using monitoring equipment.

  1. Speed Changes

    • The heartbeat changes speed throughout development, starting close to the mother's rate and accelerating up to a peak at around 175 beats per minute at nine weeks. It then decreases to within the normal fetal range.

    Measuring Heartbeat

    • Doctors use a fetal Doppler or an electronic monitoring system to measure a baby's heartbeat in the womb during most prenatal appointments, with more extensive monitoring in the last trimester and during labor.

    Detecting Problems

    • A fetal heartbeat that's faster or slower than normal or changes rapidly can indicate a problem. If an abnormal heartbeat occurs during labor, the doctor may give medications, oxygen or fluids, or she might recommend an emergency C-section.

    Myths

    • Some people believe you can use the heart rate of an unborn baby to predict the gender of the child, but this has been proven false.

    Dangers

    • Doctors publishing in the British Medical Journal in November 2009 warned against the use of home equipment to monitor fetal heartbeats, because it can lead to a false sense of security when things go wrong.

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