When is the time to hear the fetal heartbeat?

The doctor has already stated that you are pregnant, but when is the time for pregnant women to hear the fetal heartbeat? Apart from gender, fetal heart rate also often makes prospective parents curious. A variety of medical equipment is sophisticated enough to hear the baby's heartbeat as early as possible. The following is an explanation of the baby's heart rate that needs to be known.

When did the fetal heart start developing in the womb?

Fetal development usually follows a predictable path. Conception usually occurs about two weeks after your last menstrual period started.

To calculate the estimated day of birth (HPL) for the birth of the baby, the doctor will calculate the next 40 weeks starting from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP).

This means that your last period is counted as part of the pregnancy process - even if you are not pregnant at that time.

At the beginning of the fifth week of gestation, or the third week after conception, the baby's heart begins to form along with the brain, spinal cord, and other organs.

The first fetal heartbeat will appear 22-23 days after conception, which is in the middle of the fifth week.

At this time, a baby's heart is too small to produce enough sound waves for a clear sounding beat, even when reinforced by the use of medical equipment by doctors.

So, when can I hear the fetal heartbeat?

Quoting from Belly Belly, the fetal heart rate will start beating around the sixth week of gestation. That is, six weeks from the first day of your last menstrual cycle.

At this time, blood will flow into the embryo and there is an increase in the baby's heart rate to 100-160 per minute.

You will probably be able to hear your baby's first beat around 6 weeks to 8 weeks of pregnancy, if you undergo an early ultrasound examination.

There is no need to worry if the baby's heartbeat is unheard at these times. The reason is because the process can take as long as 12 weeks for you to hear all kinds of sounds in your uterus clearly.

Tool to hear the fetal heartbeat

An uterine ultrasound or sonogram is the most accurate method and is often used by your doctor or midwife to check the baby's heartbeat.

Apart from checking the heart rate, the obstetrician can also use ultrasound to confirm the following:

Pregnancy at six weeks
Determine the age and size of the fetus
Ruling out problems with pregnancy
Checking the possibility of becoming pregnant with twins

If you haven't had an ultrasound or haven't had an ultrasound at this time, you may be able to hear your baby's first heartbeat through the Fetal Doppler at your regular consultation visit.

Quoting from the Baby Center, Fetal Doppler is a mini version of ultrasound that can be held to find your baby's heartbeat.

Your doctor or midwife may be able to detect your baby's heart rate using a Doppler at 10 weeks of gestation, but it's more likely to be heard at 12 weeks.

The doctor or midwife will apply the gel on your stomach, then move the Doppler bar around the surface of your stomach. The doctor will do this until it finds a place where the fetal heartbeat can be detected.

The Doppler sends and receives sound waves that bounce off your baby's heart. The fetal doppler device makes your baby's heart rate "echo" loud enough for you to hear it too.

Exactly when you can hear your baby's first heartbeat will largely depend on the size of the pregnant woman's body, the position of the uterus, the location of the baby, and the accuracy of the gestational age.

Many women say that their baby's heartbeat first sounds like the hubbub of a herd of horses galloping fast.

The baby's heart rate ranges from 120-160 beats per minute. If the baby's heart rate is outside this range, the fetus may have heart problems.

Inaudible baby's heartbeat, what is the sign?

Around 12 weeks of pregnancy, you will usually have a consultation appointment so that your doctor or midwife can try to detect the baby's heartbeat.

However, sometimes during this examination, pregnant women cannot hear the baby's heartbeat in the uterus. There are many reasons why you may not hear your baby right now, namely:

1. The age of the fetus is not correct

If you're not sure when your last period was, your little one's birthday may be more delayed than you thought. This also applies when the age of the fetus is calculated using methods other than ultrasound.

This means that you are not actually pregnant at that gestational age, for example, 12 weeks of pregnancy. This condition makes your baby's heartbeat difficult to hear.

Missed gestation is one of the most common reasons, especially if this is your first consultation visit.

2. Position of the uterus

The position of the uterus is not always facing the front as usual. There is also a tilted uterus that affects how to find the baby's heart rate.

This is because the Doppler moves according to the position of the uterus in general, so that when the mother has the uterus tilted, the Doppler has to move more extra.

No need to worry because this is not a problem, the position of the uterus tilted is a natural thing.

3. Position of the baby

At 12 weeks pregnant, your baby is very small. The Doppler needs to locate the baby in an appropriate way to capture its heartbeat.

This is what makes prospective parents need time and patience so that the fetal heartbeat can be "caught" by Doppler.

4. Body size of pregnant women

If you are overweight, for example, sometimes the dividing layer between the baby and the Doppler is quite thick. This will be quite difficult to hear the fetal heartbeat clearly.

Usually this can be resolved using transvaginal ultrasound if the doctor is worried about the baby's condition or simply to monitor it.

5. Miscarriage

This is bad news which is the reason why your baby can't hear the heartbeat. The process of having a miscarriage is often unmarked so that prospective parents do not know it.

This condition is the possibility of a hidden or silent miscarriage. This condition illustrates that the mother is actually not really pregnant, but is experiencing symptoms and signs of pregnancy.

This is what keeps the mother from having any signs of miscarriage because the baby never really starts to form.

If you have scheduled a consultation with the doctor but haven't heard the baby's heartbeat, chances are you will be asked to come a week or two later. This depends on how far the pregnancy is.

If your baby's heartbeat hasn't been heard yet, calm yourself. This is a fairly frequent occurrence and has various reasons behind it, as already explained.

The stress of not hearing the baby's heartbeat can make a pregnant woman's condition even worse, it won't even change the result.

Raise any concerns you have to the doctor or midwife to take the necessary action as soon as possible.