How to listen to the fetal heart rate?

During the pregnancy, family members often use many methods to listen to the fetal heartbeat, usually using a stethoscope. Please note that there are many types of stethoscopes now. When the baby is relatively small, the heartbeat is very weak, so an ordinary stethoscope may not be able to hear the fetal heartbeat. At this time, don't be nervous or anxious. The following will teach you the correct way to listen to the fetal heartbeat.

How to listen to the fetal heart rate?

The fetal heart rate is the heartbeat of the fetus. The fetal heart begins beating three or four weeks after pregnancy. It was slow at first, only sixty or seventy times a minute. The heartbeat at this time is very weak, and during B-ultrasound examination, the fetal heartbeat can be displayed on the ultrasound screen. At the beginning, you can't hear it with an ordinary stethoscope because the baby is too small. You can use a Doppler stethoscope to listen, or listen to the fetal heart rate under the guidance of a professional. Let’s take a look at how to listen to the fetal heart rate.

After 8 weeks of pregnancy, the fetal heart rate can reach about 180 beats per minute. After 14 weeks of pregnancy, the fetal heart rate drops to about 140 beats per minute, and then remains between 120 and 160 beats per minute. In addition to listening to the fetal heart rate directly with a stethoscope, doctors can also use a Doppler fetal heart rate detector to measure the fetal heart rate.

When the pregnancy is about four months, the fetal heartbeat can be heard near the midline below the navel. Later, as the fetus grows and the fetal position changes, the position of the fetal heart will also change. Because most fetal heart sounds are transmitted from the fetal back and can be heard most clearly near the shoulder blades on the fetal back, the fetal head in head position can be listened to on both sides of the lower abdomen, the fetal head in breech position can be listened to on both sides of the upper abdomen, and the fetal head in lateral position can be listened to at the midline of the abdomen above or below the navel.

The normal fetal heart rate is 120 to 160 beats per minute. If it is too fast, too slow or irregular, it means that the fetus may be suffering from intrauterine hypoxia or asphyxia, and timely medical treatment must be sought.

Instrument for listening to fetal heart rate

Pregnant women can hear the fetal heartbeat, also known as the fetal heartbeat, at 12 weeks of pregnancy, but the fetal heartbeat is very soft at this time. When a pregnant woman is over 15 weeks pregnant, she needs to use some special instruments to listen to the fetal heart rate in order to understand the health and development of the fetus. So, what are the instruments used to listen to the fetal heart rate? Below, the editor summarizes the commonly used instruments for listening to fetal heart rate.

1. Stethoscope

The fetal heartbeat is strong and powerful, with a fast rhythm and a sound like a pendulum. The speed of fetal heart beat is closely related to the condition of the fetus (variability of fetal heart rate). When the fetus is awake and active, the fetal heart rate increases; when the fetus is in a quiet sleep state, the fetal heart rate slows down.

2. Fetal talk instrument

The fetal talker is a home consumer electronic device that combines a traditional ultrasound Doppler probe with the mobile Internet. It is very different from traditional fetal heart monitors. The fetal talk monitor transmits the fetal sounds collected by the probe to a smartphone or terminal for processing.

3. Fetal heart rate monitor

Fetal heart rate monitors use Doppler auscultation technology. Fetal heart rate monitors can be used to listen to the fetal heart rate. Some can display the fetal heart rate through LED or LCD screen.

Now that you have an instrument to listen to the fetal heart rate, you also need a correct method to do it. Here are some steps for using the instrument.