OMG! What’s wrong with not hearing the fetal heartbeat? Big-name experts tell you why! Original 2016-03-03 Prof. Liu Xinghui said: In the daily obstetrics outpatient clinic, many new mothers and with the arrival of the two-child era of the elderly pregnant women, will be entangled in “when can I hear the baby’s fetal heartbeat”, “the baby’s fetal heartbeat is normal”, “need to monitor at home” and so on. “Do I need to monitor the baby’s heartbeat at home?” and so on. Let’s take a look at what a fetal heartbeat during pregnancy really is. What is the fetal heart? The heart is the earliest organ in the body of the fetus to have a function. Fetal heart sound can directly reflect the situation of the fetus in the mother’s uterus, the number of weeks of pregnancy, the basic conditions of pregnant mothers, fetal movement, monitoring of environmental stimuli, etc. can affect its rate: early pregnancy is faster, the middle and late pregnancy for 110 to 160 beats / minute, and more regular. The fetal heartbeat can usually be seen by ultrasound at 6 to 7 weeks of gestation, but it cannot be heard through the abdominal wall in the early stages. How to listen to the fetal heart? Generally after 11 to 12 weeks of pregnancy can be used to fetal cardiometer through the abdominal wall of pregnant women hear the fetal heart, like the sound of horses’ hooves, each time to monitor 1 minute, 110 to 160 times per minute is normal. Under normal circumstances, the location and strength of the fetal heart sound heard through the abdominal wall, due to the week of pregnancy, fetal position and the thickness of the abdominal wall fat and other circumstances change, pregnant mothers do not need to be anxious about this. However, if the fetal heartbeat is too fast, too slow, or cannot be heard, the fetus may be hypoxic or even have died in the womb, and appropriate measures must be taken. Common causes of fetal heart failure Common causes of fetal heart failure include obstetric complications such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, placental abruption, premature rupture of membranes before 20-24 weeks; fetal developmental anomalies such as fetal malformations, chromosomal anomalies (most common in early pregnancy); intrauterine infections; umbilical cord anomalies such as prolapse of the umbilical cord, umbilical cord hypoplasia, umbilical cord thrombosis; medical complications such as diabetes mellitus, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, and other causes of fetal death. Unexplained intrauterine fetal death. Do I need to be monitored at home? Many pregnant mothers in the clinic ask if they can monitor the fetal heartbeat at home with a fetal heart rate monitor. Not only does this involve the ability of the mother to find the right position and distinguish between fetal heart sounds and other noises, but it is also important to understand that frequent listening to the fetal heartbeat may interfere with the natural sleep-wake cycle of the fetus, and, more importantly, that when the fetus has an abnormality, it is most often manifested in the fetal movements first. Compared with fetal heart rate monitor, counting fetal movement can better monitor the intrauterine state of the fetus at home and detect problems in time, so it is not recommended for pregnant women to monitor the fetal heart rate at home with fetal monitor, but it is emphasized that fetal movement should be counted. The first step is to count the fetal movements at home. After 20 weeks, some pregnant women can feel fetal movement, some pregnant women may feel fetal movement earlier, and primigravid women are more likely to feel it later than transient women. Counting of fetal movement starts at 32 weeks (with appropriate advancement for high-risk pregnant women): sit quietly or lie on the side after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, each counted once, each time for one hour, continuous movement (two intervals of less than 3 minutes) is counted as one time, and ≥3 movements per hour is considered normal. Compared with the usual, fetal movement is too frequent or too little fetal movement suggests that hypoxia may be. Fetal movements will decrease after full term. Fetal movements will decrease after full term, but should not be less than 3 movements/hour. If it is less than 3, then add 1 hour to the count, and the total number of movements is greater than 6, which is considered normal. What should I do if there is a problem with fetal movement? What should an expectant mother do if she feels abnormal fetal movement at home? Don’t be nervous! The baby has its own waking and sleeping cycle (usually 20-40 minutes). Some conditions of the mother, such as emotional stress, poor diet, poor sleep, fever, sedative drugs, etc., may affect the fetal movement, which can be improved by breathing fresh air, adjusting emotions, appropriate activities, dietary adjustments, etc., and continue to monitor the situation, noting whether the number of times the fetus moves is the same as that of normal days. Abnormal fetal movement indicates that the fetus may have hypoxia, asphyxia, then should be immediately to the hospital emergency. Mothers-to-be should have regular checkups during pregnancy, generally every 4 weeks from 12 to 26 weeks of pregnancy, every 2 weeks from 26 to 34 weeks, and once a week after 35 weeks; if the combination of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, heart disease, diabetes, and other high-risk pregnant mothers, you should follow the doctor’s advice to adjust the number of checkups accordingly. It is especially emphasized that after 30 weeks (especially 32 weeks), the fetal movement should be counted and recorded carefully; it is not recommended to monitor the fetal heartbeat at home by oneself. When abnormal fetal movement occurs, consult a doctor promptly.