Palpitation of the fetus is the most important indicator of the viability and normal development of the child. Depending on its presence or absence at the earliest stages of pregnancy, it is concluded whether pregnancy is normal or there is a dead pregnancy. An important role is played by the heart rate of the embryo, which should normally be within 110-200 beats per minute.
When is it possible to hear the fetal heartbeat for the first time?
The heart of the embryo is laid on the fourth week of pregnancy. At first it looks like a hollow tube. And already in the fifth week the fetus starts heartbeat - his heart starts to throb. By the eighth-ninth week after conception, the heart is already becoming four-chamber, such as it will be throughout the life of the unborn child.
In the early stages of pregnancy, the fetal heartbeat can be detected with the help of ultrasound. Palpitation of the fetus on ultrasound in a transvaginal study can be detected as early as the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy. A little later - in the sixth-seventh week, palpitation of the fetus is audible and with transabdominal ultrasound.
Fetal heart rate
From the period of pregnancy depends on what the heartbeat of the fetus. In the first trimester heart rate (heart rate) of the embryo is from 110-130 to 170-190 beats per minute. These changes in the first trimester are associated with the development of the autonomic nervous system of the fetus.
If the fetus has a heart rate below 85-100 or more than 200 beats per minute in the first trimester, this indicates unfavorable processes. This condition requires taking measures to eliminate the causes of changes in heart rate. The total absence of heartbeats, when the fetus has already reached a size of more than 8 mm, indicates an undeveloped pregnancy. In this case, ultrasound is repeated after a week and the results are taken further.
In the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, the HR rate is 140-160 beats per minute. The abbreviations must be rhythmic.
What else is listening to the heartbeat of the fetus?
Auscultation is an additional method of assessing the work of the child's heart in the womb. At the same time, the heartbeat of the fetus is listened to by a special tube to listen to the heartbeat (obstetric stethoscope). From a conventional stethoscope, the obstetric has a wide funnel. It is her doctor who applies the woman to the belly, while to the other end of the tube he applies his ear.
This method is widely used during pregnancy and during childbirth. Remember how at every reception in the women's consultation to your stomach the doctor applies this simple tubule, most often made of wood.
By the nature of the fetal heartbeat, audited through the obstetric stethoscope, the doctor makes an assessment of the fetus. As the gestation period increases, heartbeats are heard more and more clearly.
Palpitation of the fetus at home
To date, a method has been invented that future parents can enjoy the sounds of the heartbeat of an unborn child at home. To do this, you need to purchase a portable ultrasonic Doppler heartbeat detector.
The detector can be connected to a computer and record the sound of a beating heart. This will be a unique audio recording, which, moreover, can be sent by e-mail to any corner of the earth (if, for example, the father of the child is far from his pregnant wife by the will of circumstances). These devices in recent years have become very popular due to the ease of use and the delightful result of their work.