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Can you hear the fetal heartbeat through a phonendoscope? When you hear the fetal heartbeat on ultrasound

Every mother wants to hear the sound of the heartbeat of her unborn baby as soon as possible. Of course, this is one of the most pleasant and exciting experiences. After all, if you hear how the heart beats, it means that the fetus is growing.

But the sound of the fetal heart not only indicates that a new life is actively developing, but can also provide a lot of important information about the health of the baby.

The question of when a fetal heartbeat appears is relevant for every expectant mother, as well as such an important point as fetal movement during pregnancy, the rate of which for each woman may be different. The heartbeat can also be heard for the first time at different times.

Women who are interested in how long a heartbeat appears should understand that the fetal heart does not start beating at one moment. When the laying of this organ begins, then a part of the tissue, which will subsequently develop into the ventricles of the heart, makes contractile movements. Of course, the period when the fetal heartbeat is heard on ultrasound comes later.

The gynecologist will tell you what week this sound is heard: it can sometimes be heard already in the very early stages. At what hCG it is audible and for how long the heartbeat is “seen” on ultrasound, it also depends on the power of the apparatus that is used for the study. Using a conventional abdominal ultrasound probe, the doctor can hear heartbeats as early as 5 weeks. And with the help of a vaginal sensor, beats can be heard as early as 3-4 weeks, that is, immediately after the heart of the fetus begins to beat.

The heart rate depends on which week the heart beats. It is different at different stages of pregnancy.

When the period is 6 weeks - 8 weeks, the fetal heart rate is 110-130 beats per minute.
In the period from 8 to 11 weeks - heart rate can increase to 190 beats.
Already from 11 weeks, the frequency is 140-160 beats.

The table below shows the heart rate for different periods of gestation. It is very easy to understand how many beats per minute the baby's heart should beat at different periods of pregnancy.

Fetal heart rate table by week:

Those who are interested in the table of fetal heart rate by week by sex of the child should know that both girls and boys have the same heartbeat.

The doctor evaluates not only the fetal heart rate by week, but also additional factors, such as the phase of the child's activity, diseases of the mother and fetus, the time when the frequency is determined, etc.

If the fetal heart rate is disturbed by weeks, this may be due to various reasons.

Why is the heart rhythm disturbed

If heart rate is less than 120 beats per minute

The causes of a weak heartbeat in the early stages can be associated with various reasons. It can be fixed for a short period of time - up to 4 weeks. At week 6, the embryo's pulse can be 100-120 beats. A pulse of 130 beats also indicates that everything is fine with the baby. But if a very low heart rate is recorded, less than 80 beats, then there is a risk of pregnancy loss.
If an ultrasound scan of 12 weeks or more indicates a low heart rate, this may be due to chronic hypoxia fetusa or his reaction to the fact that the umbilical cord is squeezed. If the heartbeat is 120 beats per minute, what to do, the doctor should tell, guided by the results of the research.
Before childbirth, a weak rhythm may be evidence of acute or chronic fetal hypoxia, as well as compression of the umbilical cord during contractions.

If the pulse is 160 beats per minute is exceeded

In the first weeks of pregnancy, this is usually a variant of the norm, but in some cases it indicates a violation of placentation.
After 12 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus can react in this way to its own movements or to the stress experienced by the mother.
fetus in the later stages may be a consequence of chronic fetal hypoxia or a reaction to movement or contraction.

Sounds are muffled, tones are hard to hear

If listening is performed in pregnant women in the early stages, this may indicate that the period is too short or the study is carried out by a faulty sensor, or the listening device is outdated. This is also possible if mom has. But also poorly heard tones in the early stages may be evidence that the baby has a vascular heart disease.
After 12 weeks, dull tones can be heard if the mother is obese, as well as feto-placental insufficiency , presentation (if the placenta is located on the anterior wall), oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios. Sometimes deaf tones are fixed if the location of the child in the womb is inconvenient for listening. However, malformations of the heart or blood vessels are also not excluded.
In late tones, this phenomenon indicates that active contractions have begun or fetal hypoxia is noted.

No heartbeat

In the earliest stages, the sound of a heart beat is absent if the period during listening is very short, or an outdated sensor is used. However, sometimes this is evidence that the pregnancy has stopped or is starting.
For a period of 12 weeks or more, as well as in the last weeks, the absence of a heart sound can either be evidence of an incorrect auscultation site or a breakdown of the CTG sensor, or to talk about what has happened antenatal fetal death .

The presence of a heartbeat and the rate of the fetal heartbeat is determined during pregnancy for a specific purpose.

To establish that a pregnancy is developing

After the expectant mother has taken a pregnancy test and it is positive, the woman goes to the hospital to undergo an ultrasound. Modern ultrasound machines make it possible to hear the beat of the heart of the embryo already at the first examination - at 4-5 weeks. But if the baby’s heart is not heard on the first ultrasound, you should not panic. As a rule, when the procedure is repeated, you can hear the expected sound. However, sometimes the heartbeat does not appear, there is a deformation of the fetal egg. This condition is defined as missed pregnancy. In such a situation, medical termination of pregnancy is carried out with the help of special drugs. If such a situation occurs, then a woman is not recommended to become pregnant for about six months after that.

To assess fetal development

There are clear indicators of what is considered a normal heartbeat at what time. That is, a normal heartbeat per minute is determined depending on the period of development of the baby. The heart of the embryo reacts to any changes in the world that surrounds it. After all, stress or illness of the mother directly affects children. Also, the rate of heart beats per minute varies depending on the period of activity or sleep of the fetus. The oxygen level in the air also affects the heart rate. However, any disturbances associated with exposure to such factors are temporary.

Provided that the heart rate is too high for a long time, the doctor may suspect a violation of the fetal blood supply, the so-called fetoplacental insufficiency . As a rule, this condition is chronic. Sometimes, when the child's compensatory abilities are exhausted, too slow heart rate is noted. This indicates that the condition of the fetus has worsened. In such a situation, sometimes a decision is made on emergency delivery. The doctor takes into account what the heartbeat should be in which week, and from when exactly the pathology manifested itself, determines the tactics of treatment.

Determination of the state of the fetus in childbirth

During childbirth, the baby experiences very strong stress, lack of oxygen and compression. If everything goes well, then his heart and blood vessels normally cope with such loads. However, sometimes emergencies occur, for example, placental abruption , clamping of the umbilical cord that require immediate medical attention. That is why, during childbirth, the doctor determines how many beats the heart rate is after each contraction, so as not to miss the development of an acute lack of oxygen.

Ultrasound procedure

The first method to determine if the heart rate is normal or not is an ultrasound. During an ultrasound, along with an assessment of the heartbeat, the doctor assesses the condition of the placenta, the size of the fetus.

Heart sounds are listened very carefully, and its structure is studied if a woman has already had children with vascular and heart defects. If the mother suffered infectious diseases during pregnancy, special attention is paid to the work and structure of the heart.

If necessary, an ultrasound of the fetal heart is performed during pregnancy. At what time to do an ultrasound of the fetal heart, the doctor determines. The most optimal time for the study of CG echo is 12 weeks. But a woman can also conduct an echocardiogram at her own request to make sure that everything is fine with the child.

This method involves listening to heart sounds using a special obstetric stethoscope. True, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to hear a heartbeat in the early stages with a stethoscope is negative. The period when you can hear with a stethoscope is 18-20 weeks. A doctor with experience can determine a number of indicators using such a device. He will listen to the approximate frequency with which the heart beats, determine the clarity of the tones and find the place where they are heard best. The algorithm for listening to the fetal heartbeat and determining the heart rate is simple: this can be done using a stopwatch.

But sometimes auscultation with a stethoscope is difficult or even impossible. This is likely if the mother has a very large weight, if the placenta is located on the anterior wall of the uterus (in this case, vascular noise interferes), if there is very little or a lot of amniotic fluid.

Cardiotocography (CTG)

This is an informative method by which the fetal heartbeat can be assessed. This procedure allows you to determine the oxygen starvation of the fetus at an early stage and eliminate this problem in a timely manner.

The CTG machine is an ultrasound transducer that sends and picks up reflected signals from the heart. In this case, all changes in rhythm are recorded on tape. During the procedure, the doctor installs not only the main sensor, but also a uterine contraction sensor, with which you can determine the activity of the uterus. The most modern devices have fetal movement sensors, and sometimes there is a special button so that the woman herself can record the movements.

The entire process of CTG examination takes about 60 minutes. During this period, in most cases, it is possible to fix the period of sleep and activity of the fetus. But sometimes there is a need to examine the condition of the fetus throughout the day. Then the sensors attached to the stomach are left for a day.

Heart rate analysis is carried out taking into account the gestational age at which the study was performed. The first CTG is performed at 32 weeks. If it is carried out earlier, at 30 weeks or even earlier, the results will be uninformative. When 31 weeks pass, a relationship is formed between cardiac activity and fetal motor activity.

Most often, a pregnant woman undergoes this study twice - at 32 weeks and just before the birth. This procedure does not harm either the woman or the baby, so it can be done as many times as needed.

The specialist deciphers the CTG tape, compares the results with the data from the analyzes and ultrasound. However, cardiotocography is not a source of definitive diagnosis.

What is a "good" CTG

A “good” KGT is considered if the indicators are as follows:

Heart rate is normal - from 120 to 160 beats per minute;
when the baby moves, the heart rate increases;
there is no decrease in heart rate or it is observed very rarely and in small quantities.

The apparatus analyzes these indicators and, based on its results, issues a special PSP index. If the condition of the fetus is normal, then this index is not more than one.

However, it must be taken into account that a variety of factors affect how a child's heart works. And only a specialist can correctly evaluate them.

Why is "bad" CTG determined?

Most often, changes on CTG are determined if there is fetal hypoxia . An increase in heart rate is characteristic of a condition when the fetus does not have enough oxygen, and the heart is forced to work very intensively.
When a contraction or movement occurs, the baby's heart rate may slow down, which is not a normal condition.
Short changes on the tape are fixed if the umbilical cord is pressed against the fetal head. At the same time, the results look the same as with oxygen starvation, but the baby feels normal.
If the sensors were attached incorrectly, the results obtained may also be "bad".

In case of detection hypoxia when listening to the fetal heartbeat, the doctor conducts additional studies to confirm or refute the diagnosis. If hypoxia is confirmed, treatment is carried out, or the doctor decides on an emergency delivery.

echocardiography

Echocardiography is used if there is a suspicion of heart defects in the fetus at 18-28 weeks of gestation. Using this method, you can determine the features of the structure of the heart and blood flow. This procedure is carried out in the following cases:

the expectant mother already has children who are diagnosed with heart defects;
during pregnancy, infectious diseases were transferred, especially in the first weeks;
the mother has congenital heart defects;
the future mother is over 38 years old;
a woman is diagnosed;
there is a delay in intrauterine development of the fetus;
the fetus has malformations in other organs, and there is a possibility of developing congenital heart defects.

This method is used both as a two-dimensional ultrasound, and using other modes of an ultrasound scanner: Doppler mode, one-dimensional ultrasound. With this combination of techniques, it becomes possible to carefully study the structure of the heart, the features of blood flow.

Is it possible to determine the sex of a child by the heartbeat?

Many women in a certain period of pregnancy are actively worried about how to determine the sex of the child by the fetal heartbeat. Indeed, among pregnant women and even among some medical professionals, there is a "legend" that such a definition is possible, as well as the assumption that the size of the fetus can help determine who will be born - a boy or a girl.

It is believed that in girls the heart beats faster, and at 13 weeks or later, their heart rate is up to 160 times per minute. According to this "belief", in boys the heartbeat is 135-150 beats. But for those who actively ask doctors questions: “How to find out the sex of a child by heartbeat at 12 weeks” or “How long is this possible”, you need to consider that this method is not scientifically sound. Although there is an opinion that this method is relevant only up to 20 weeks.

The question of how many weeks it is possible to determine the sex of a child in this way is not relevant in principle, and the heart rate is not a determining indicator. After all, it is possible to determine whether it is a boy or a girl by frequency except with an accuracy of 50%.

True, there is an opinion that in this case it is also important what kind of heartbeat the fetus has. Some "experts" say that in boys it is more rhythmic, and in girls it is more chaotic.

There is another sign: in boys, the heart rhythm coincides with the rhythm of the mother, in girls - no. But all these methods have nothing to do with medicine. After all, heart rate reflects the ability of the fetus to overcome the lack of oxygen, and not gender. Therefore, mothers who begin to "guess" the gender immediately, when the heart of the embryo begins to beat, it is better to do a high-quality ultrasound from a good specialist who will help you find out the sex of the baby with high accuracy.

Can you hear heartbeats with a phonendoscope? Those who are interested in how to listen to the heartbeat at home can use several methods. You can hear this pleasant sound for parents at home with a stethoscope, a portable device - a fetal doppler, and, finally, simply putting your ear to your tummy.

How to listen to the heartbeat at home, we will discuss below. After all, for this there is no need to visit a antenatal clinic. If the expectant mother and her entourage have experience, the heart can be heard earlier. After all, a more experienced woman notices the movement of the fetus earlier during the second pregnancy. The heart rate, however, must be monitored by a doctor.

With a stethoscope

You can listen to the heart with the most common obstetric stethoscope. It is necessary to purchase an obstetric tube and use someone's help. Of course, the fetus at 12 weeks of pregnancy at home will not be able to listen. If this person has no experience, then it will not be possible to hear anything earlier than at 25 weeks. But if the fetus is heard for 30 weeks, then it is much easier to hear the beats. You just need to practice a little and get the hang of it. In this case, it is necessary to clearly distinguish what it is - the pulse, the peristalsis of the pregnant woman, the movements of the fetus, or yet its heartbeat.

Using fetal doppler

If you wish, you can buy a special device - a fetal doppler. This is a portable ultrasonic detector that works like a conventional CTG machine, but the image is not captured on the film. Sometimes headphones are included so that you can clearly hear the sounds. With the help of a doppler, you can hear heart sounds starting from 8 weeks. However, it is better to start using this device a little later. It is important that the study itself does not last longer than ten minutes.

As the advantages of this device, it should be noted the ability to listen to the heartbeat in the early stages, as well as the ease of use and the ability of a woman to do this without help.

The disadvantages of using Doppler are its high cost, limitations in use. In addition, this device should not be used without measure.

Putting your ear to your belly

Sometimes you can hear the heart by simply putting your ear to your tummy. This is possible in the last weeks of gestation. However, a positive result can only be obtained if the expectant mother does not have too much fat.

You need to listen to the heart in a certain place in the abdomen, depending on how the baby is located. If he lies upside down, then you need to listen to the heartbeat below the woman's navel. If the baby's head is at the top, then it is advisable to listen to the tones above the mother's navel. With multiple pregnancies, the heartbeat of each fetus is heard in different places.

conclusions

Thus, the level of heart rate is a very important indicator of the development of the child. The pulse rate is controlled by the doctor during pregnancy. Future mothers should know that severe heart pathologies are very rare, and in most cases, babies are born healthy. But, nevertheless, it is important to regularly undergo all studies, control the heartbeat. The rate of beats per minute in women and in a child is an important indicator, and the doctor takes this into account. But the future mother herself should be very careful about her own health and “listen” to the baby.

Pregnant women often ask this question: is it possible to feel the fetal heartbeat in the stomach by placing a hand on it?

The opinion of doctors is unequivocal: the heartbeat in the womb cannot be felt by hand at any stage of pregnancy, no matter how a man or woman puts his hand, trying to feel something, it will be ineffective.

If pulsations are felt in the pregnant woman's abdomen, this may indicate high pressure in the vessels, requiring the advice of a specialist.

When is the fetal heartbeat heard through the abdomen and how can it be felt?

The baby's pulse is indicative of determining the health status of the embryo. The obstetrician listens to the rhythm of the fetal heart, applying not an ear to the tummy of the expectant mother, but a special tube - a stethoscope.

This method is applicable from the eighteenth week of pregnancy.

In the early stages, the baby's heartbeat is heard on ultrasound. This can be done as early as the fifth week of embryo development.

The normal pulse frequency should be:

until the eighth week - from 125 to 135;

up to the tenth - from 165 to 190;

How to listen with a stethoscope

The heart pulse corresponds to the constant development of the ANS, which is responsible for the entire homeostasis. Starting in the twentieth week, the obstetrician can hear the force of the shocks through the mother's abdomen using a stethoscope, a tube with a funnel at the end.

Listening to the beats is carried out through the belly of the pregnant woman, who is in a horizontal position. The obstetrician needs to attach a stethoscope and listen to the rhythm of the heart. Normally, rhythmic, clear, double beats are heard.

It is necessary to hear shocks not only to determine the physical condition of the embryo, but also in order to establish how it is placed in the abdominal cavity, transversely, is in a breech presentation, or head.

After the twenty-fourth week of development, pulsations can be heard in various places in the uterus.

The child is also listened to during childbirth, through an obstetric stethoscope, every twenty minutes. This is necessary in order to control contractions and the baby's reaction to them.

Ultrasound control

A transvaginal pulsation sensor is heard already at the sixth week of development.

If a transabdominal sensor is used, then on the seventh. When there is no beating, the embryo froze, does not develop.

A woman will have to do a curettage and undergo an examination to identify the cause of the problem.

In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, an ultrasound specialist can determine not only the rhythm rate, but also how the baby's heart is placed. His pulse in the later stages of development depends on many factors:

· mother's illness;

· weather;

bodily condition of the pregnant woman;

physical activity of the expectant mother.

To detect abnormalities in the development of the cardiovascular system, a four-chamber ultrasound scan is used to assess the size and structure of the ventricles and atria.

A four-chamber cut reveals anomalies in the structure of the heart in eighty percent of cases.

Cardiotocography is used to listen to the child's heart, according to indications:

· gestosis in the later stages;

a frozen fetus or a delay in its development;

acute condition of the pregnant woman;

chronic diseases of the mother;

aging of the placenta;

delayed pregnancy.

When conducting CTG, a woman should lie on her back or on her side, if it is impossible to lie on her back, the pregnant woman is in a sitting position, the sensor is attached to her stomach.

Data processed on CTG:

· frequency;

· variability;

rare or frequent tremors.

Echocardiography to listen to the fetal heartbeat is used only when indicated. The most significant period is from the eighteenth week of pregnancy.

Indications for the appointment of ECHO are: suspicion of a congenital defect; infectious and viral diseases in the expectant mother; late pregnancy; fetal growth retardation.

When conducting echocardiography, the Doppler mode, one-dimensional and two-dimensional ultrasound are used, which allows you to further analyze the structure of the vessels and the nature of the blood flow.

The ultrasound detector for listening to fetal tremors is completely safe and convenient in that it can be used at home.

The ultrasonic detector is used in home living conditions as prescribed by the attending physician. The manipulation time is ten minutes.

Norm and pathology

When listening to the baby's heartbeat in the womb, tachycardia can be diagnosed. This is a condition characterized by pulsations of two hundred beats per minute.

A strong heartbeat is a sign of fetal oxygen deficiency. In addition, there are reasons that affect the increase in the baby's pulsations:

· a pregnant woman is in the open sun for a long time or in an unventilated room;

anemia in the expectant mother;

The stressful state of a woman.

Hypoxia is caused by such reasons:

pathology of the placenta or umbilical cord;

underdevelopment of internal organs.

Oxygen deficiency requires an adequate course of treatment for the underlying problem.

In some cases, the heart rhythm is muffled.

A weak heartbeat is a signal of a threatening condition, a possible termination of pregnancy. In the later stages, it is an indication for immediate delivery, as it indicates oxygen starvation, life-threatening.

If the tremors of the embryo are not heard when it develops more than five millimeters, this condition is diagnosed as a miscarriage.

The onset of pregnancy can complicate a condition such as enembronia, that is, a preserved fetal egg with no contents in it, the embryo itself.

To clarify the diagnosis, the pregnant woman comes for an ultrasound scan again a week later, if the child has died, the woman will have to go through a medical procedure called abortion or curettage. Pregnancy can also turn out to be false, when the embryo did not form, only the placenta developed. It is dangerous to delay with such a problem, it can lead to serious complications and infertility in the future.

The baby's heartbeat may not be felt for a period of twenty-eight weeks, obstetricians refer to this as the death of the embryo, a woman is recommended to have an abortion or artificial birth.

Is the sex of the unborn baby determined by jerks

Is it possible to find out the sex of an embryo by its beating? There are various folk methods, but none of them is supported by science.

Method one.

After listening to the beat, we determine the nature of the shocks. The male sex confirms a clear rhythm, the female one is chaotic and does not coincide with the woman's heartbeat.

Method two

We determine the place where the beat is best heard, if on the left, then a girl will be born, if it is heard on the right, then a boy.

Method three

We count the number of strokes, for girls it should be more than 150, for boys about 120.

All three methods are very controversial, doctors say that the rhythm, frequency of strokes and their number depend on the state of health of the woman and the child, and not on the sex of the baby.

You can absolutely find out who will be a boy or a girl only by handing over a piece of placental tissue or amniotic fluid for analysis. Such an analysis is carried out only according to indications.

For the first time, listening to the heartbeat of a future baby is an important, significant moment for any mother. How to listen to the fetal heartbeat at home? How long does it take to be possible? These are the questions that concern all women who are expecting the birth of a child.

The tiny heart of the fetus performs the most important functions: it carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the developing body, the slightest disturbances in its work threaten serious complications in the future.

The number of heartbeats helps to indirectly detect problems at an early stage of development. These include:

violations in the development of the body;
pathology of the development of the placenta;
fetal hypoxia;
developmental pathologies.

An incorrect rhythm indicates a problem that only a qualified doctor can handle. Frequent or slow beats are an alarm signal for a lady in position.

Any woman who is expecting a baby should be aware of the fetal heart rate relative to gestational age in order to compare them with the indicators obtained by measuring at home.

Pathologies in which you need to constantly monitor the heart rate of the unborn baby:

the uterus is in good shape;
the appearance of bleeding;
risk of miscarriage;
the presence of chronic diseases;
anemia.

When can you hear the first heartbeats?

The first sounds of the heart can be heard already at an early stage of fetal development. With the help of an ultrasound machine (when using an abdominal sensor), the doctor can listen to the heartbeat in the fifth week of pregnancy, the use of a vaginal sensor allows you to recognize beats in the third week, almost immediately after the first heartbeats of the embryo.

The beat frequency varies depending on the timing:

from the sixth to the eighth week, it does not exceed 130 beats per minute;
up to the eleventh week it can increase to almost 200 beats per minute;
later fluctuates in the range from 140 to 160 beats per minute.

In the middle of the term, you can easily listen to the baby's heartbeats on your own, using different techniques.

How to listen to your baby's heartbeat

A woman who is expecting a baby should definitely visit a doctor who will monitor the correct development of pregnancy.

A qualified specialist will explain to the expectant mother when the first heartbeats of the unborn baby can be heard, what listening methods should be used at home.

In the antenatal clinic, gynecologists often listen with the help of special equipment already in the early stages of pregnancy in order to exclude possible errors and pathologies.

The first listening should be done in the antenatal clinic, where the doctor will be able to explain in detail how they listen to the fetal heartbeat, what heart rate norms exist at different times, how to perform the procedure on their own.

How to listen to the heart at the doctor.

Fetal doppler.

The first sound of a small heart at a doctor's appointment can be heard if a machine called a "fetal doppler" is used. This is a device created on the basis of sound waves that amplify the heartbeat of the embryo.

The examination is carried out as follows: the expectant mother takes a vertical position on the examination table, the specialist brings a special sensor to the woman's stomach, and with light movements passes the device over it.

The procedure is completely harmless to the fetus, accurate and painless. You can hear the heartbeat with the help of the device in the early stages of pregnancy, the heart rate of the future baby is clearly audible after the ninth week.

At an early stage, you can hear the heartbeat with the help of ultrasound, such a consultation is prescribed in cases where there are certain risks for the woman or baby. With the correct development of pregnancy, ultrasound is prescribed at a later date.

Hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time is an amazing and exciting moment. Listening to a heartbeat can tell a doctor a lot about a child's health. For future mothers and fathers, it is extremely important to hear the baby's heartbeat, as they can make sure that the baby is growing properly. There are several ways in which you can hear the fetal heartbeat. Some of these you can do at home, while others will be done in the doctor's office. Be sure to check with your doctor before trying home remedies.

Steps

Listen to the heartbeat at home

With a stethoscope. One of the easiest ways to hear the fetal heartbeat at home is to use a regular stethoscope. At 18-20 weeks pregnant, the heartbeat should already be strong enough that you can hear it through a stethoscope. Just put it on your stomach and listen. You may have to move the stethoscope around your stomach a little to find your heartbeat. Be patient.

The quality of a stethoscope is very important, so only buy from a reputable retailer. Your local pharmacy and even some office supply stores will have a variety of brands of stethoscopes available for you to choose from. If you can, you can also borrow a stethoscope from a friend or relative who works in the medical field.

Download the app. New technologies allow you to effortlessly hear your baby's heartbeat. There are several different apps that you can buy and download on your phone to listen to your heartbeat. Some of them will even let you record your heartbeat sound so you can play it back for your friends and family.
- These applications are best used in the later stages of pregnancy.
With the help of a heart monitor. You can buy a relatively inexpensive fetal heart monitor and use it at home. This is a pretty good choice if you tend to get anxious between doctor visits and the sound of a heartbeat calms you down. However, you should be aware that these monitors are not as powerful as those used by doctors. It will not be able to pick up the baby's heartbeat unless you are at least five months pregnant.
- Before buying a home heart monitor, be sure to consult your doctor. After purchasing it, strictly follow the instructions for use.
Learn about the factors that affect sound. Even with the right devices, there are many reasons why you may not hear the fetal heartbeat. It is very important to know that things like the position of the fetus and your weight can affect whether you can clearly hear the heartbeat. If you think there is cause for concern, contact your doctor immediately.

Prepare for your visit to the doctor. Ask your doctor when you may first hear a fetal heartbeat. Most doctors schedule an antenatal exam at the ninth or tenth week of pregnancy. Before your visit, you should prepare a list of questions you want to ask the doctor. This moment will be even more special if you understand what is going on and what to expect.
- It will be a very exciting and emotional visit. Ask your partner, close friend, or relative to come with you to your appointment and share these pleasant experiences with you.
Fetal doppler. Ask your doctor about what he will use to listen to the heartbeat. You will usually hear the first heartbeat sounds when a doctor or nurse uses fetal doppler, which uses sound waves to increase the heartbeat. You will lie down on an examination table, after which the doctor will pass a small probe over your abdomen. This procedure is painless.
- Although a doctor will usually be able to find a fetal heartbeat at the ninth or tenth week, sometimes it is better to perform the procedure at 12 weeks so that finding the heartbeat is not difficult.
Perform an ultrasound. If your doctor orders an early ultrasound, you will be able to hear the fetal heartbeat through the ultrasound as early as the eighth week of pregnancy. Ultrasound is usually given early due to the presence of increased risk factors for pregnancy. Otherwise, ultrasound is performed no earlier than at 10-12 weeks of gestation.

Distinguish appliances. Be aware that your doctor may use a stethoscope to listen to the fetal heartbeat. However, this device is not as powerful as others, so the doctor will use it no earlier than in the second trimester of pregnancy. A doctor or midwife may also use a fetoscope, a device specifically designed to listen to the fetal heartbeat.

The heart rate (HR) of a child is one of the important indicators of the normal course of pregnancy. You can listen to the beat of a baby's heart as early as 6-8 obstetric weeks after conception during ultrasound diagnostics. As the baby grows, the heart rate changes. Special tables have been developed from which you can find out the value of this indicator. What characteristics are important when listening to the heart of the embryo and for what reason do deviations occur?

When does an embryo's heart begin to beat?

The fetal heart is one of those important organs that are formed and function from the first weeks of fetal development. Registration of its rhythm is one of the reliable criteria for fetal cardiac activity:

an early knock is evidence that the fetus is growing and developing;
heart rate values at different points in pregnancy are different, which allows you to constantly monitor the development of the baby;
according to the characteristics of the heart rate (rhythmic, arrhythmic, clear, muffled), it is possible to identify intrauterine pathologies and take the necessary measures to preserve the pregnancy.

The laying of the heart occurs at 2-3 weeks of the life of the embryo. Initially, it has the shape of a small hollow tube and eventually transforms into a miniature full-fledged organ. The first shocks are observed at 4-5 weeks. The heart begins to beat gradually, soon its rhythm improves. Initially, the organ occupies 10% of the total body area, by the end of gestation, the figure is reduced to 1%.

How can you hear a baby's heartbeat?

The heart rate of one baby or twins can be recorded by the following methods:

Ultrasound diagnostics. Ultrasound is performed from 4–7 weeks, it allows you to determine the size of the organ, listen to tones, and identify gross malformations. If necessary, it is prescribed at 12, and at 20, and at 23, and at 32, and at 37 weeks.
Listening with a stethoscope. It is performed by an obstetrician from the 20th week to assess the timbre, frequency and rhythm of the knock, to determine the noise.
Echocardiography. It is carried out from the 20th week if fetal malformations are suspected. Allows you to study the blood flow, the structure of the muscular organ. The indications for the study are the age of the mother over 35 years old, the birth of children with a history of heart defects, and infectious diseases in a woman.
Cardiography. The method is effective from the 30th week. It helps to determine the degree of oxygen starvation by the nature of the pulse and movements of the crumbs. These parameters fix sensitive sensors and display the result in the form of a graph.

If the pregnancy is proceeding normally, the woman should do control ultrasounds three times: at 11–14, 18–21, 30–34 weeks. Listening with a stethoscope occurs every time at a planned visit to the doctor from the second half of gestation in order to determine the rhythm and heart rate of the fetus. The obstetrician first determines the position of the baby in the uterus and then applies the stethoscope to the woman's stomach closer to the head of the fetus from the side of its back. The frequency, rhythm and sonority of tones are evaluated.

Cardiac monitoring is carried out at 30–32 weeks. In the pathological course of pregnancy (polyhydramnios, hypoxia, gestosis), the study is performed as often as necessary to determine the condition of the child: at 32, 35, 38, 40 weeks. The CTG apparatus is also used in childbirth in order to determine the baby's heartbeat, the contractile activity of the uterus.

In addition to the main examination, urinalysis, palpation, Doppler to determine the velocity of blood flow in the umbilical arteries, Dopplerography of placental blood flow can be shown. If pathological changes are detected at 18–24 weeks of gestation, it is possible to conduct a cardiogram of the expectant mother.

During the first four weeks of pregnancy, the fetal heartbeat is not heard. To determine its viability and the successful course of pregnancy, the level of human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine is ascertained. In the absence of conception, the hormone level is not higher than 5 mIU / ml. If the fetus develops correctly, the hCG indicator will increase and will be (mIU / ml):

1-2 obstetric weeks - 25-156;
3–4 – 101–4800;
5-6 weeks - 2560-82300.

In what cases is it necessary to calculate the heart rate of a child in the womb?

Listening to the heartbeat of the fetus or twins is aimed at monitoring the growth of the baby. Counting the contractions of the heart muscle allows you to monitor the formation of the fetus during the gestational age and control the delivery process at 38–40 weeks.

Calculation of heart rate makes it possible to determine a number of pathological conditions:

Heart defects. With abnormal development of the organ, a change in rhythm is noted - arrhythmia is observed. What caused the anomaly? This allows you to find out additional examinations. Also, the presence of extraneous noise indicates the pathologies of the organ.
Fading pregnancy. The method allows to detect the death of the fetus in the womb in the early stages. If, with an embryo size of 4–5 mm or more, there is no heartbeat at 6–12 weeks, the hCG level is close to zero, which means that the embryo does not develop.
Fetal hypoxia. Insufficient oxygen supply is compensated by more intense blood flow and an increase in heart rate. With hypoxia, the heartbeat is weak, slow, its indicators are below normal.

The rate of fetal heart rate by week (table)

Indicators of changes in the heart rate of the child in the womb are shown in the table:

Obstetric week of pregnancy	Heart rate (bpm)
4–5	90-120
6–7	100–125
8–9	120–150
10–11	125–160
12–13	130–170
14–15	140–180
16–17	135–170
18–19	135–165
20–21	140–170
22–23	130–160
24–41	120–160

The highest heart rate values are observed at 8–12, 14–15 weeks of gestation. Then they gradually decrease. By the 13th–15th week, the organs and systems are finally formed, from this time the active growth of the fetus begins. At the end of the term, the heart rate is 120-160 beats per minute.

The heart rate of a child during fetal development depends on a number of significant factors:

physical activity;
hemoglobin level;
uterine tone;
emotional state of a woman;
pathologies of gestation: Rhesus conflict, bleeding;
individual characteristics of the myocardium;
period: sleep or wake time.

If a woman is carrying twins, each baby's heart rate is usually at the lower limit of normal. Good performance of each of the children at the time of birth is 110-150 beats per minute. Tachycardia is indicated by parameters of 180 beats per minute or more. Bradycardia in one or two babies is diagnosed with a pulse of 100 beats per minute or less.

Heart rate does not depend on the sex of the child. On average, a baby's heart beats twice as fast in the womb as that of its mother. However, there is a belief that the heartbeat of boys is 120-150 beats per minute. In girls, the figure is higher - 150-170. It is believed that in male children the nature of the heartbeat is measured, while in girls it is more chaotic. This information has not been scientifically confirmed. You can accurately find out the sex of the child during an ultrasound scan from the 18th week. The error in the determination is 10%.

What characteristics are taken into account when listening to the baby's heart rate?

When examining the work of the heart of the embryo with one of the above methods, the doctor draws attention to the following indicators:

Heart rate. The rapid beating of the child's heart is a symptom of tachycardia. A rare and muffled knock is observed with bradycardia. Both conditions need close monitoring and correction after finding out the causes of occurrence.
Rhythm. The norm is equal time intervals between heart beats. Heart valve defects, fetal hypoxia, intrauterine infection and other pathologies lead to arrhythmia.
The nature of the tones. Clear and sonorous beats are evidence that the heart is healthy. If deaf, blurred shocks are heard, pathology is possible.

What can deviations from the norm signal?

The main criterion that doctors are guided by when assessing the intrauterine development of the fetus is the heart rate. As a rule, an increase in this indicator compared to the norm is detected, and this is not as dangerous as a slowdown.

An increase in heart rate is evidence of fetal oxygen starvation, which can occur for the following reasons:

malformations of intrauterine development;
anemia (in mother or fetus);
uterine bleeding, the threat of miscarriage;
acute diseases of the mother, in which there is intoxication, fever;
nodes and abnormal length of the umbilical cord;
placental insufficiency;
intrauterine infection;
preeclampsia and any pathology that leads to circulatory disorders in the placenta;
hereditary factor.