Fetal Heart Rate

Checking the fetal heart rate is one way doctors and midwives determine if the baby is in any stress.

A fetoscope helps midwives and doctors check heart rates.

Doctors will commonly start listening for a heartbeat by the tenth or twelfth week of pregnancy. The heartbeat can be heard as early as seven or eight weeks, although that is somewhat unusual. Pregnant women should speak to their doctors about questions regarding first trimester heartbeats and heart rates if they are concerned about the pregnancy.

A physician often listens to the beat using a fetal Doppler. It uses sound wave technology to strengthen the sounds of the heartbeat. Adverse effects from use in a physican's office have not been reported, making it a safe way to check the baby's heart rate. A fetoscope, which is an enhanced stethoscope, may be used to listen to the heartbeat if a woman is pregnant with twins or multiples.

During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, a stethoscope often provides enough magnification for the doctor to listen to the sound of the heart beat. A Doppler may still be easier for the doctor to use, especially in cases where the mother is overweight or has frontal placenta. Additionally, it might provide a clearer distinction between the mother’s heartbeat and the baby’s heartbeat.

During labor and childbirth in a hospital setting, most women are connected to an external heart monitor. This involves two devices being strapped around her stomach, one that monitors the heart rate while the other measures contractions. An external monitor is also used to check on the baby’s health if movement has slowed or if the mother has other complications from pregnancy.

At times, it may be necessary to monitor the baby from inside the womb. In the case, an internal monitor is used, which is attached to the baby’s head after the mother’s water has broken.

Generally, fetal heart rates should be between approximately 110 and 160 beats per minute, although they can reach as high as 170 or 180 and as low as 100 and still be considered normal. The average will vary from baby to baby and will rise and fall throughout pregnancy.

Having an unusually high or low heart rate can indicate fetal distress, even in early pregnancy. An ultrasound may be ordered if the heart rate indicates a problem. Explanations for the fluctuations range, but may include:

• Excessive physical exertion by the mother
• Psychological or emotional stress on the mother during pregnancy
• Umbilical cord problems (wrapped around baby’s neck, knot in the cord, leak in the cord)
• Placental problems
• Other serious pregnancy complications

Women who are experiencing decreased fetal movement of baby kicks or pelvic/abdominal pain should tell their doctors at the next visit. Symptoms combined with the heart rate may signal a need for further testing to check both the mother and baby’s health. Call the emergency room or the doctor’s office if baby’s movement is not felt for hours or if pain is severe.

The World Health Organization identifies a heart rate at over 180 or below 100 beats per minute as a sign of fetal distress during labor and delivery. Possible explanations include placenta abruption, infection or prolapsed cord. If symptoms cannot be managed, it may be necessary to perform a Cesarean section.

The heart rate is calculated by counting the beats per minute. Physicians listen to the heart beat for a full 60 seconds or else calculate using simple multiplication. In those instances, the rate is taken times a number to bring the amount of seconds up to 60. If the beat per 10 seconds is 23, calculate the rate by taking 23 times 6.

Contrary to pregnancy old wives tales, it is not possible to tell the gender of a baby by heart rate during pregnancy. A 1998 study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology disproves the tale. Interestingly, the next year the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology published a report noting that fetal heart rate between genders during labor does vary, with females showing a faster rate.

The baby’s development in womb is a complicated and complex process. When doctors and midwives check the fetal heart rate, they are trying to gage the health of the fetus at that point in its development. To avoid future difficulties in pregnancy and delivery, doctors often keep detailed records of the heart rate.

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