How To Check Baby’S Heartbeat During Pregnancy At Home?

How To Check Baby
Download Article Download Article Hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the first time is a miraculous and exciting moment. Listening to the heartbeat can give doctors important information about your baby’s health. As a mom or dad to be, hearing the heartbeat can provide assurance that the baby is growing as they should.

  1. 1 Use a stethoscope. A basic stethoscope is one of the easiest ways to listen to the fetal heartbeat at home. When you are between 18 and 20 weeks pregnant, the heartbeat should be strong enough for you to listen to with this method. Simply place the stethoscope on your belly and listen. You may have to move it around a bit to find the heartbeat. Be patient.
    • Quality does matter, so make sure to purchase a stethoscope from a reputable seller. You can find a wide variety of brands at your local drugstore, and even at a store selling office supplies. Or borrow one from a friend or family member in the medical field if you can.
  2. 2 Download an app. New technology can make it very easy to listen to your baby’s heartbeat wherever you are. There are several different apps that you can purchase and download to your smartphone to listen to the heartbeat. Some will even allow you to record the sound of the heartbeat so you can play it for your friends and family.
    • These are most reliable later in pregnancy.

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  3. 3 Get a monitor. You can buy relatively inexpensive fetal heart rate monitors to use at home. This can be a great option if you are prone to stress and are reassured by listening to the heartbeat between visits to your doctor. However, you should be aware that these monitors are not as strong as the ones used by your doctor.
    • Make sure to consult your doctor before purchasing an at-home monitor. Once you have one, follow the instructions carefully.
  4. 4 Learn the factors that affect the sound. Even when you are using the proper tools, there are many reasons that you may not be able to detect the fetal heartbeat yourself. It’s important to know that things such as the baby’s position and your weight can impact whether or not you will clearly hear a heartbeat. If you feel there is reason to be concerned, make sure to contact your healthcare provider right away.
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  1. 1 Communicate with your doctor. The relationship between you and your doctor or midwife is very important. When you are pregnant, make sure that you are working with a healthcare professional whom you trust. Talk to your doctor about your baby’s development, and the best ways for you to hear the heartbeat, both at home and in her office. Choose a doctor who thoroughly and patiently answers all of your questions.
  2. 2 Prepare for your visit. Ask your doctor when you can first expect to hear the heartbeat. Most physicians will schedule for a prenatal exam in your ninth or tenth week. Before your visit, make sure to prepare a list of questions to ask your doctor. The moment will be even more special if you understand what is happening and what to expect.
    • This will be an exciting and emotional visit. Ask your partner or a close friend or family member to come with you to the appointment to share in your excitement.
  3. 3 Experience the fetal doppler. Talk to your doctor about what type of exam he will use to hear the heartbeat. Typically, you will first hear the sound when your doctor or technician uses a fetal doppler, which uses sound waves to amplify the heartbeat. You will lie down on an exam table and the doctor will move a small probe on the surface of your stomach. This is a painless procedure.
    • While your doctor can usually detect the baby’s heartbeat at nine to 10 weeks, sometimes it takes until 12 weeks to easily detect it.
  4. 4 Have an ultrasound. If your doctor schedules you for an early ultrasound, you may be able to hear the heartbeat through ultrasound as soon as your eighth week of pregnancy. This is typically performed early if you have some elevated risk factors in your pregnancy. Otherwise, the doctor will typically wait until you are at least 10–12 weeks along.
  5. 5 Know the different tools. Be aware that your doctor might be able to use a stethoscope to listen to your baby’s heartbeat. However, this instrument is not as powerful as others, so he likely will not do this until you are well into your second trimester. Your doctor or midwife might also use a fetoscope, which is specially designed to listen to fetal heartbeats.
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  1. 1 Learn about fetal development. When you are pregnant, it is important to know the stages of your baby’s development. That way, you will know when you can logically expect to hear the heartbeat, and you can correlate this information with other development milestones.
    • Remember that conception dates are not always precise. Don’t immediately be alarmed if you think your baby hasn’t developed fast enough — your conception date may be off by a week or two.
  2. 2 Keep the heart healthy. There are many things you can do to help your baby’s heart to grow strong and healthy. During your pregnancy, avoid alcohol, smoking, and recreational drugs. You should usually take folic acid supplements to help your baby develop.
    • Eat a healthy diet and avoid caffeine.
  3. 3 Know the risks. Even though you will be anxious to hear the fetal heartbeat, make sure that you know there are risks involved when using at home fetal heart monitors. The main drawback is that hearing a healthy heartbeat can lead to a false sense of security in expectant mothers. For example, if you are not feeling “right,” but can hear the heartbeat, you might put off going to the doctor. Make sure to listen to your body and contact your doctor at the first sign that something is wrong. Do not rely too heavily on at home monitors. In fact, having a monitor may actually increase your stress level.
  4. 4 Bond with your baby. If your doctor agrees, make it a habit to be in tune with your baby’s heartbeat. This experience can be a great way for you to bond with your baby bump. To get into a relaxed state, try taking a warm bath and talking to your belly. When you are far along in your pregnancy, the baby will begin to respond to your voice and moods. Your baby can start to hear sounds at around 23 weeks.
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  • Share this experience with your partner. This should be an exciting experience for you.
  • Consider trying a few different methods to find the one you are most comfortable with.

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Consult your doctor before attempting to listen to your baby’s heartbeat.

Advertisement Article Summary X To hear your baby’s fetal heartbeat, start by purchasing a stethoscope from a drugstore or borrowing one from a medical professional. Then, place the stethoscope on your belly and listen for a heartbeat, starting at around 20 weeks.

  1. Alternatively, download an app on your phone that allows you to hear and record your baby’s heart beat.
  2. If you can’t find the heartbeat, try moving the stethoscope around a bit.
  3. You should also speak with your doctor about other factors, like the baby’s position, which can also make it difficult to detect the heartbeat.

For more advice from our Medical reviewer, including how to keep your baby’s heart healthy during your pregnancy, read on! Did this summary help you? Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 362,609 times.
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Contents

How do I check my baby heartbeat with my hand?

Taking a Child’s Pulse – The best spot to feel the pulse in a child is the wrist, called the radial pulse, Gently feel on the inside of the wrist on the thumb side. If you can’t easily find the pulse on the wrist, you can try the neck, which has the carotid pulse, Gently place your fingers on one side of the windpipe:

  1. Gently press two fingers (don’t use your thumb) on the spot until you feel a beat.
  2. When you feel the pulse, count the beats for 15 seconds.
  3. Multiply the number of beats you counted by 4 to get the beats per minute.

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Can I check my baby heartbeat at home?

You’re pregnant and you know it can be an exciting, beautiful experience. But you’re also a little nervous. You want some reassurance that everything is A-OK. Wouldn’t it be great if I could check on my little one right now? you find yourself thinking. Or maybe you’re not so nervous as you are wanting to bond with your baby a little more — looking for a way to connect.

First, rest assured that you’re not alone in your concerns. Many people are anxious for peace of mind or eager to bond with baby — which is why at-home fetal dopplers are so popular. A fetal doppler — whether at the doctor’s office or purchased for home use — is a hand-held ultrasound device that uses soundwaves to listen to a fetal heartbeat.

When you go to your doctor for a check-up, they’ll use one of these devices — hopefully, not without warming the ultrasound gel first! — to detect your baby’s heartbeat from around 8 to 10 weeks. If your doctor can’t hear a heartbeat in the first trimester, it’s not necessarily a cause for concern.

  • Some dopplers (yes, even those you encounter at your OB’s office!) only detect it after about 12 weeks.
  • For many, hearing the heartbeat at the doctor’s office is a magical, joyful, and reassuring experience — and the time between appointments is just so darn long to wait to hear that sweet sound again! The idea of listening to the heartbeat in between doctor’s appointments is appealing.

It may also ease anxiety and help you feel more connected to your baby. So what’s the harm? Well, possibly very little. But not so fast. It’s important to know about the safety hazards of at-home fetal dopplers before you use one.
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How can I check my baby heartbeat through my stomach?

External fetal heart monitoring –

  1. Depending on the type of procedure, you may be asked to undress from the waist down. Or you may need to remove all of your clothes and wear a hospital gown.
  2. You will lie on your back on an exam table.
  3. The healthcare provider will put a clear gel on your abdomen.
  4. The provider will press the transducer against your skin. The provider will move it around until he or she finds the fetal heartbeat. You will be able to hear the sound of the fetal heart rate with Doppler or an electronic monitor.
  5. During labor, the provider may check the fetal heart rate at intervals or nonstop, based on your condition and the condition of your baby.
  6. For continuous electronic monitoring, the provider will connect the transducer to the monitor with a cable. A wide elastic belt will be put around you to hold the transducer in place.
  7. The provider will record the fetal heart rate. With continuous monitoring, the fetal heart pattern will be displayed on a computer screen and printed on paper.
  8. You may not be able to get out of bed with nonstop external fetal heart rate monitoring.
  9. Once the procedure is done, the provider will wipe off the gel.

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How can a mother feel baby’s heartbeat?

– Hearing a baby’s heartbeat for the first time is an exciting milestone for new parents-to-be. A fetal heartbeat may first be detected by a vaginal ultrasound as early as 5 1/2 to 6 weeks after gestation. That’s when a fetal pole, the first visible sign of a developing embryo, can sometimes be seen.
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How can a mother feel the fetal heartbeat?

– Here are step-by-step tips on using a stethoscope to hear your baby’s heartbeat:

Find a quiet location. The quieter your surroundings, the easier it’ll be to hear your baby’s heartbeat. Sit in a room alone with the television and radio off. Lie down on a soft surface. You can listen to your baby’s heartbeat in bed or lying on the couch. Feel around your stomach and find your baby’s back, Baby’s back is an ideal place to hear a fetal heartbeat. This section of your stomach should feel hard, yet smooth. Place the chest piece on this area of your stomach, Now you can begin to listen through the earpiece.

You might not immediately hear it. If this is the case, slowly move the stethoscope up or down until you’re able to pick up a sound. Fetal heartbeats can sound like a watch ticking underneath a pillow.
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Can my phone pick up fetal heartbeat?

No home scanning device, doppler or app can tell you if your baby is well Our midwife Kate strongly advises against using home devices for ‘reassurance’, or mobile apps that falsely claim to be able to monitor your baby’s heartbeat. We’ve noticed a worrying rise in the number of mobile apps claiming to be able to monitor your unborn baby’s heartbeat, and now there’s even a device that supposedly allows you to do home scans! As with, these apps and devices may sound tempting but they are not a safe way to listen to your baby’s heartbeat or check if they are well.

  • That can only be done by a midwife or health professional who has received special training and knows what to listen and look for.
  • Unless you are professionally trained, it is easy to confuse what you are hearing or seeing and be falsely reassured.
  • There is also little regulation of these apps and devices, and the claims they make.

There is often no way of knowing if the technology has been tested, how it’s been tested, and whether any health professionals have been involved.
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How do I know if my baby is healthy in the womb?

Consistent Growth Patterns – Good growth and development is the surest manner to keep track that your foetus is developing into a healthy baby. Having regular antenatal care helps your healthcare practitioner to plot your baby’s development and ensure that growth milestones are being achieved.
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Can I hear my baby’s heartbeat with my phone?

Don’t skip a heartbeat. The app ‘Shell’ is free and lets users listen, record and share their unborn baby’s heartbeat. While the app is a new addition to the pregnancy experience, it should not replace doctor visits or regular ultrasounds.
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Can you feel heartbeat in stomach when pregnant?

Feeling Your Heartbeat in Your Stomach – It’s normal to feel your pulse in your stomach. What you’re picking up on is your pulse in your abdominal aorta. The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. It runs from your heart, down the center of your chest, and into your abdomen. You’re more likely to feel your pulse in your stomach in three scenarios:

  1. During/after eating
  2. While lying down
  3. During pregnancy

When you eat, your heart pumps extra blood to your stomach and small intestine through your aorta. This helps with digesting food and absorbing its nutrients. That temporary surge can create a more pronounced pulse in your stomach. You might also feel it if you lie down and raise your knees.

  • And if you don’t have much abdominal fat, you may even see your stomach pulse.
  • During pregnancy, the amount of blood circulating around the body increases significantly.
  • More blood is pumped with each heartbeat, making the pulse in the abdominal aorta more noticeable.
  • In rare cases, picking up on your pulse in your stomach can be a sign of something serious.

Always seek prompt medical attention if you have symptoms that come on suddenly, including pain in your abdomen, side or back. This is especially important if you have:

  • A blood vessel disease
  • High blood pressure
  • A history of aortic infections
  • A family history of abdominal aortic aneurysms
  • A recent traumatic injury

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When does a baby’s heart start beating?

1. Introduction – From all the organs of our body, the heart and the brain have received an eminent position in the diverse philosophical, theological and biomedical concepts of human life that evolved in the Near East and Europe during the past 5000 years.

Each of the two organs were proposed as the location of the soul or the source of the “vital principle” that defined personal human life, Therefore, if we neglect the existence of concepts that attribute the soul or the vital principle to the whole body, we can roughly distinguish between heart-centered and brain-centered concepts of human life.

Seeing either the heart or the brain as the source of the vital principle has great impact on the practical work of physicians. This is because the presence of heart or brain activity can be regarded as the indicator of life. The irreversible cessation of heart or brain activity then can be regarded as the defining sign of death of an individual human being.

Up to the 1960s, the traditional legal definition of death, in Western countries, was the cessation of cardio-respiratory function. During the 1960s and 1970s, the medicolegal definition of death shifted from a heart-centered to a brain-centered definition of death, which had great impact on the development of transplantation medicine,

In analogy to the medicolegal definitions of death, the beginning of heart or brain activity may be regarded as defining features for the beginning of personal life, These ideas also have consequences for the practical work of physicians since they have influence on the development of laws regulating abortion,

In the United States, for example, there is currently a tendency to define the beginning of personal human life by the onset of embryonic heart beating with the consequence of banning abortions after the time point of the first detection of the embryonic heart beating, In view of the eminent status of the heart in our thinking about personal human life, it is no wonder that, in my lectures of medical embryology, the students frequently ask me when the human embryonic heart starts beating.

Up until last year, my answer to this question has corresponded to the current textbook knowledge, which says that the cardiovascular system is the first organ system to function and that the human embryonic heart starts beating at 21 to 23 days after fertilization,

During this short time period, human embryos are said to pass through stage 10 of the so-called Carnegie stages (CS) of human embryonic development, and their length is said to vary between 1.5 and 3 mm, The heart of CS-10 embryos has a relatively simple form design, which resembles a tubular blood vessel.

At the beginning of CS-10, the heart is a relatively short and straight tube aligned along the ventral midline of the foregut ( Figure 1 A). Up to the end of CS-10, the tubular heart undergoes a considerable lengthening and changes its 3-dimensional configuration from a straight to a C-shaped heart loop ( Figure 1 B–D). Morphogenesis of the human embryonic heart tube during Carnegie-stage 10. ( A, B ) depict early and late linear heart tube stages; ( C ) depicts a heart tube at the onset of cardiac looping; and ( D ) depicts a C-shaped heart tube. Hearts are shown in ventral views.

  1. The longitudinal white line indicates the original ventral midline of the heart tube.
  2. The shape of the endocardial lumen can be seen through the semitransparent wall of the hearts.
  3. It is indicated by red (ventricles, outflow tract, arteries) and blue (veins, atria, atrioventricular canal) colors.
  4. Drawings are based on Figures 18–24 shown in reference,

Abbreviations: AVC = atrioventricular canal; LA = embryonic left atrium; LV = embryonic left ventricle; RA = embryonic right atrium; RV = embryonic right ventricle. It is obvious that a tubular embryonic heart mechanically cannot work in the same way as the mature four-chambered heart of human beings.

Thus, if we use, in the context of the early embryonic heart activity, the term “heartbeat”, which is used to describe ” the regular movement that the heart makes as it sends blood around your body “, we should be aware of the fact that we deal with a kind of heart movement that differs considerably from the movement of the mature four-chambered heart.

Observations on animal embryos have shown that the pumping action of embryonic heart tubes is characterized by the cyclic generation of traveling mechanical waves sweeping from its venous to its arterial end. These waves were traditionally interpreted as peristaltic movements of the myocardial wall of the heart tube (for review see ).

  • I should, furthermore, note that, in the embryological literature, the term heartbeat sometimes was used already for the first weak contractions of early embryonic cardiomyocytes,
  • These contractions appear as small, irregular twitches within circumscribed areas of the developing myocardium and do not generate coordinated movements of the developing heart that cause fluid flow.

Calling these contractions heartbeats does not match with the above-mentioned everyday usage of the term heartbeat and, therefore, should be avoided. For the illustration of the general anatomy of CS-10 embryos, I usually show pictures of three-dimensional models of a well-known historical human embryo that has been described, for the first time, by the Swiss anatomist Auguste-Francois-Charles de’Eternod in 1896 and 1899 ( Figure 2 ). Outer morphology of a Carnegie-stage 10 human embryo as depicted by a historical three-dimensional model manufactured in the studio of Friedrich Ziegler in Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany. This embryo was described, for the first time, by the Swiss anatomist Auguste-Francois-Charles de’Eternod in 1896 and 1899,

  • Pictures of this embryo or its heart were published in many textbooks, atlases and articles on human embryology during the 20th century.
  • The embryo had a greatest length of 2.11 mm and seven pairs of complete somites + one pair of incomplete somites.
  • The model is shown in right ventral ( A ), ventral ( B ), left ventral ( C ), right lateral ( D ), dorsal ( E ), and left lateral ( F ) views.

Abbreviations: AIP = anterior intestinal portal; CS = connecting stalk; H = bulge of the body wall produced by the heart and pericardial cavity; NA = neuroporus anterior; NP = neuroporus posterior. It should be noted here that the usage of the post-fertilization age is mainly confined to the community of embryologists and developmental biologists, which are especially interested in knowledge of the true age of human embryos.

The date of fertilization of the human oocyte normally cannot be determined with high accuracy, since fertilization normally occurs within the body of the mother and is normally not associated with any physiological phenomenon that comes regularly to the attention of the mother. Physicians, therefore, determine the age of a pregnancy—the so-called “gestational age”—on the basis of a regular and visible phenomenon that normally does not escape the attention of a woman.

This is the beginning of the last menstrual period, Our current textbook knowledge of the relationship between menstruation, ovulation, and fertilization says that ovulation and fertilization normally occur approximately in the middle of an idealized menstrual cycle of 28 days.

Thus, the gestational age is approximately 14 days older than the post-fertilization age. When expressed in terms of idealized gestational age, the human embryonic heart is said to start beating at 35 to 37 gestational days (sixth gestational week). Having answered the above-mentioned students’ question in my lectures on medical embryology, I was recently confronted with a second students’ question, which asked for the sources of our current knowledge of the beginning of human heart activity.

I think that this is a very nice students’ question since it forces us to scrutinize our current textbook knowledge and to think about the methods suitable for providing information on the beginning of heart activity in human embryos. The present review article summarizes the results of my research on contemporary and historical sources of knowledge of the beginning of human heart activity and, thereby, provides an answer to the challenging students’ question.
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Where do I put my hand to feel my heartbeat?

Finding your pulse – You can find your pulse in your wrist or neck. To find your pulse in your wrist:

hold out one of your hands, with your palm facing upwardspress the first (index) finger and middle finger of your other hand on the inside of your wrist, at the base of your thumb – don’t use your thumb as it has its own pulsepress your skin lightly until you can feel your pulse – if you can’t find it, try pressing a little harder or move your fingers around

To find your pulse in your neck:

press your first finger and middle finger to the side of your neck, just under your jaw and beside your windpipe – don’t use your thumbpress your skin lightly to feel your pulse – if you can’t find it, try pressing a bit harder or move your fingers around

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