A child's heartbeat is one of the first signs of a new life that grows and develops inside a pregnant woman. The first signs of contractions of the forming heart are visible already in the fifth week during the ultrasound examination, during this period it looks like a hollow tube and only looks like a human heart to the ninth.
Palpitation of the fetus at 12 weeks
Before 12 weeks of pregnancy, the fetal heart rate changes and depends on the gestational age. So from 6 to 8 weeks the heart rate is 110-130 beats per minute, from 9 to 11 weeks from 180 to 200 beats per minute. From the 12th week of pregnancy, the heartbeat is set in the range of 130 to 170 beats per minute, and this frequency remains until the birth itself. The establishment of the heart rate is associated with the maturation of the autonomic nervous system. Listening to the fetal heartbeat at the 12th week of pregnancy is possible only with ultrasound. When the first screening ultrasound is performed at 9-13 weeks, the heart has four chambers (two atria and two ventricles).
Is it possible to hear the fetal heartbeat?
As we have already said, heartbeat at 12 weeks can be heard only during the ultrasound. Starting at week 20, the fetal heartbeat can be audible with auscultation using a midwife stethoscope. The stethoscope is placed on the fetal back, and on the other hand the doctor's ear is pressed, while the frequency and rhythm of the fetal heart rate are determined. Since 32 weeks, cardiotocography (CTG) can be used - a special technique for determining the heart rate of the fetus. CTG is widely used during labor, when it is necessary to track not only the nature of the fetal heartbeats, but also its movement and contraction of the uterus.
What does the fetal heart speak?
Palpitation of the fetus is one of the indicators of the normal development of the embryo, the absence of a heartbeat at the 8th week of pregnancy indicates an undeveloped pregnancy. Fetal heart rate increases may indicate fetal hypoxia and compensatory mechanisms, and a bradycardia of less than 100 beats per minute is an alarm signal that speaks for a deep hypoxia.
Thus, a good heartbeat of the fetus is an important criterion for its adequate development. At various pregnancy times, there are methods for measuring heart rate: up to 18 weeks of ultrasound, and after 18 weeks you can use a midwife stethoscope and an apparatus for listening to the heartbeat of the fetus.