Fetal Heart Rate

With the help of a fetoscope the doctor or the midwives check out the fetal heart beat in order to determine if incase the baby is stressed out.

What is the use of monitoring the fetal heart rate?

By the end of the tenth or the eleventh week of pregnancy the fetal heart beat is heard though sometimes it can be heard even earlier.

Which is the device used to check the fetal heart beat?

Using a fetal Doppler a physician listens to the fetal heart beat, sound wave technology is used to help listen to the fetal heart beat strongly. The fetoscope also helps clearly distinguish the heartbeat of the fetus and that of the twin incase of twin pregnancy or multiple pregnancy.

Though the use of stethoscope is used to listen to the fetal heart beat during the other two trimesters the use of fetal Doppler is still the most preferred one when it comes to checking out the fetal heart rate especially when the mother is obese or overweight or when the placenta is in the frontal position. The use of fetal Doppler helps the doctor to distinguish clearly the heartbeats of the mother and the fetal too.

Necessity of monitoring the fetal heartbeat during labor

Generally all the hospitals have a heart monitor that is connected externally during labor. Two devices of the heart monitor is strapped to the mother’s stomach which helps to monitor the rate of heart beat and the other helps to monitor the rate of contractions. The external monitor also helps to check out the baby’s heart movements and alerts the doctors in case there are chances of complications. There have been instances where it has become necessary to monitor the fetal heart beat inside the womb and at such times the use of internal monitor come handy and this device is attached to the fetal head or baby’s head when the water sac is broken.

Do the fetal undergo distress?

Normally the fetal heartbeat rate lies anywhere between 110 to 160 per minute though they do go up to 180 and come down to 100 which is normal and the heartbeat varies throughout the entire pregnancy. In some cases the fetal heartbeat rates are either too low or too high indicating that the fetal is undergoing stress especially during early pregnancy. To check out the reason for this an ultrasound is conducted and the reasons can be:

• Too much of physical exertion
• Emotional or psychological stress experienced by the mother.
• Umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck or other problems related to the umbilical cord
• Pregnancy related complications
• Problems related to the position of the placenta.

In case you experience any abdominal pains or decreased fetal movements you need to consult your doctor as this could be a serious problem. In certain cases where the problem cannot be controlled due to infection or placenta abruption then the doctors prefers Cesarean section of delivery to avoid further complications. The rate of heart beat is calculated by counting the number of heart beats per minute.