Fetal Heart Rate- Pregnancy forum

From the date of the last menstrual period, the fetal heart will begin to beat on the 22nd day of development. This means that by the 5th week of pregnancy, the heart is beating. Until week 9, the fetal heart rate will increase 3.3 beats per day. In the early stages, the fetal heart rate is approximately 80-85 beats per minute (bpm). However, by the 9th week your baby's heart beat will be in the range of 155 to 195 beats per minute. Most expectant parents say that the fetal heart rate sounds like the galloping of a horse.

Hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time is a magical moment for most expectant parents. Although the heart begins beating around the 5th week of a 40 week pregnancy, you will not be able to actually hear the heartbeat quite so early. Approximately 9 or 10 weeks after your last menstrual period, it is possible to hear the heartbeat with a special instrument called a doppler. The doppler simply bounces sound waves off of your baby's heart to produce sounds. This does not hurt you or your baby. Hearing the heartbeat this early will depend upon several factors. If you are overweight, it might be harder to hear the heartbeat.

Even though you can not hear the fetal heartbeat until week 9 or 10, ultrasound is able to see a beating heart much sooner. An ultrasound can pick up the heartbeat as a "flicker" in the chest as early as four weeks after conception. Your caregiver will listen to your baby's heart at each prenatal visit. Checking the fetal heart rate is one of the easiest ways to monitor your baby's health and condition. Your healthcare provider will check your baby's heartbeat on one of two ways. The first method is to count the number of beats for one full minute. The second method is to count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Most doctors will tell you your baby's heart rate when they are finished listening, but don't be alarmed if they forget to.

Many expectant mothers wish to monitor their baby's heartbeat at home in between prenatal visits. There are many brands of doppler-like instruments on the market and a good one can cost around $500. There are cheaper versions that are sold in department stores and most women do not have any luck with them. As nice as it would be to monitor your baby at home, you might worry needlessly about your baby if you have trouble hearing the heartbeat. After 20 weeks of pregnancy, it is possible to hear your baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope.

There is an old wives tale that supposedly predicts the baby's gender based on how fast or slow the heart is beating. Supposedly, if the fetal heart rate is above 140 you are expecting a girl. However, if the heart rate is below 140, it is supposed to be a boy. There is no evidence or statistical proof to support this theory.

Some facts

Stress-related changes in a pregnant woman's heart rate and blood pressure, along with chronic anxiety, can affect the heart rate of her developing fetus. link
Chinese researchers found that the fetuses responded to their own mother's voice with heart-rate acceleration and to the stranger's voice with a heart-rate deceleration. This also shows that your baby can already learn, remember and recognise before it's born. link
Does the fetal heart rate predict the sex of the baby? - A research by the University of Arkansas among 2500 pregnant women showed that this (old wives tale) is not true.

Comments: Fetal Heart Rate

Comments 1 to 24 of about 348.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next

Heaven - 8 days ago.
I'm 30 weeks and my babys heart rate is in the 180s. i was taken to the hospital for observation and everything seems to be fine. but i'm just wondering if this is ok if it is prolonged? she is very active and moves and kicks very strong. i'm worried because it seems like she doesnt sleep. she is always moving. when should i contact my doctor again

monalisalb - 12 days ago.
KGA.,i would not throw in the towel,just stay focused keep taking your prenatal vitamins and pray about it,put it in gods hands,i think you should try to keep a positive attitude and see how things work out.i will be praying for you that everything is allright

KGA - 12 days ago.
Expectingbaby1 - I am in the same situation; we did IVF and my IVF doc said I would most likely miscarry because at 7 weeks, the fetus measured 6 weeks and had a heart rate of 90. I keep waiting for the miscarriage to occur, since I am off progesterone now. But I still have all pregnancy symptoms and no bleeding or cramping. How did your recent US go? I am so depressed about all this!

bandt - 13 days ago.
I had my 7 week app. and the heart rate was 135. i believe that is good. have not heard otherwise.

trying4baby3 - 15 days ago.
Hi all I am 11wks and 5days and my bubs heart rate is 151bpm and I am so in love and happy that she/he is healthy - we already have 2 girls - so a boy would be awesome - but in the end as long as it arrives healthy that is the main thing.

gladek - 26 days ago.
My sister's babies always were around 120 in the month before birth, 125 is fine. If you look at the chart Dirk added in the text above, Many babies have HR in the 120's as they get bigger. Trust your midwife, I am sure she has gone through this 100's of times!

scorpgrl20 - 26 days ago.
I was wondering what your babies heart beat is when you get it checked. In the beginning hers was 171 and it kept getting lower but staying in the 140's. Friday when I went it was 125 bpm. I thought that was low. I asked the midwife what is concerning and she said 120 bpm. Anyone have a baby with a heart beat in the 120's??

Dirk - 26 days ago.
Chart added with fetal heart rates for boys & girls. As you can see you really can't tell from the heart rate.

gladek - 35 days ago.
expectingbaby1-Those numbers sound like a perfectly healthy growing baby! Not every baby develops at exactly the same pace.

expectingbaby1 - 35 days ago.
husband and i did ivf, our first u/s was last week 7wks the baby measured 3.9mm 6wks and 1 day and the heart rate was 116. the dr was not very optimistic and told us to come back in 2 weeks for follow up. well i work with my soon to be ob dr (after we get released from ivf dr) so i was upset and she did an ultrasound 4 days later and the heart rate was 136 and baby measured 8.8mm 7wks and 0 days. has anyone else experienced this? i hope everything is okay but i am a mess having to wait till next thurs for our follow up u/s!! any advice? do u think baby is okay?

tripnstuf99 - 35 days ago.
kelli...my daughter was always 150-160 so I swore it was a boy...yeah...no such luck. Now her heartrate is anywhere from 135-170. The old wives tale is just that....a tale. I personally, along with 8 other pregnant women in my family and bd's family relied on the Draino test and it was correct for all of us. Approximately 2 tablespoons of CRYSTAL Drano Medium glass or glass jar. It is best to just throw the mixing glass away after performing this test. Two to Three ounces of urine, preferably the first morning urine. Take the test materials outside. Add your urine to the glass jar with the crystal drano in it. There will be a rapid chemical reaction and it is best to stay well away from the glass jar while the fumes are being produced. When the reaction stops, observe the color of the test. If the mixture darkens to a brownish color within the first 10 seconds - It is a boy. If there is no darkening or color change after 10 - 15 seconds - It is a girl. When you are done, you will need to carefully dispose of the mixture as it will have a very bad smell and still be very caustic.

jfer - 35 days ago.
I have been trying to figure out what sex I think it is but I am just stuck in the middle. I thought this would be another way to guess but the heart rate is exactly 140 so I still don't know which way to lean!

lolarose - 38 days ago.
hi all had my us on friday, baby was about 8 wks 3 days with heartrate of 171, that seems a lil high for week 8 no? i dunno anything about this, i just want a healthy baby, tech said i was fine, im so happy hoping for a girl but will b happy with a healthy baby, good luck 2 all carly

babydecker - 38 days ago.
UPDATE - I went for my follow-up ultrasound today at 8 weeks and the heart rate dropped down to 40bpm and the fetus still only measured 6 weeks. So we will be proceeding with a D&E in the next couple of days.

gladek - 42 days ago.
When I had my first u/s, I was supposed to be almost seven weeks, and they said I was measuring six, with no hb. I went back for a follow up the next week, and all was well, with a hb of 120. Now I am 23 weeks and doing well! So while that is low, wait until next week before jumping to any conclusions! Good luck!

babydecker - 43 days ago.
I had my first u/s on Monday (7/21). The baby measured only 6 weeks and by my estimate, I was closer to 7. The big concern was more that the heart rate was only 85.8 bpm. I know that's on the low side but is there still a chance that it will pick up next week when I go back for a follow-up?

kameeder - 45 days ago.
Hey everyone...I just had my 14 wk checkup this morning. The Doctor listened to my little one with the doppler and the heart beat was 147-153 (she just gave us that little estimate) But is this pretty normal for 14 weeks? She didn't seemed concerned, but i would just like to know if anyone else learned their baby's heart rate at 14 weeks and what it was. My mom thinks its a boy lol but I know those old wives tales aren't true.... Please comment my page!

transee - 51 days ago.
I am in my 18th week and I heard babys heart beat yesterday by a equipment called 'babyone fetal doppler'. My huaband get it for me, and I recommend it to every mama! The little heart beats sound so beautiful!! I think this doppler is very useful and rather cheap! Maybe you can google to find it and have a try!

janetlynn13 - 53 days ago.
I went to my Dr. for an 8wk ultrasound on Friday. From my first appointment I was 8wk 0days. But on the ultrasound the baby only measured 6wk 5 days w/a heartbeat of about 80, and the Dr. was VERY concerned and actually said he doubted the baby would make it much longer. I am hoping they just had the date wrong on the first appointment. Has anyone had this happen? Any more knowledge? The nurse agreed I could actually just be under 7 wks along, but the Dr. didn't even mention that possibility. He is having me come back for another ultrasound this friday and already started talking about D&C or medication to clear the uterus. Is there any hope for me?? Please reply!!

gladek - 59 days ago.
142 is a great hr for 7 weeks...it will get fast as the weeks go along, and then start slowing down again in your second trimester!

gladek - 61 days ago.
Since the hb fluctuates, that sounds normal to me. I am only 20 weeks, and the hb (which was always in the 170s a couple months ago) is usually 135-145 now, and the doc says that is completely normal. So two months later, and just a few beats slower than that, sounds healthy!

aleeming - 61 days ago.
I am wondering if I should be concerned. I am 28 weeks now, and over the course of my preg the heartbeat has gone down. It started at 165 back when I was 6-17weeks. And now its dropped down to 128! I am worried. The baby WAS awake and active also when the 128 was read. Should I be concerned?

Nicole2216 - 63 days ago.
does anyone know if the fetal heart rate slowes down in late pregnancy? Im 33 weeks and it declined a bit.

Nicole2216 - 63 days ago.
does anyone know if the fetal heart rate slowes down in late pregnancy? Im 33 weeks and it declined a bit.

melissajayne - 63 days ago.
My baby girls heartbeat was 136bpm at 26 weeks is this ok. Im worried.