How to hear the fetal heartbeat at home: ways, what week you can, reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Young mothers listen to their body and analyze all the changes that occur in it. The first signs of pregnancy, especially if a woman is carrying a child for the first time, are very important and everyone experiences these feelings with a share of joy. The beating heart of a baby speaks of his vitality, the work of organs and he alth. That is why many expectant mothers are interested in the question: how to hear the fetal heartbeat at home? Is it possible to do this at all and how not to harm the child? We will answer this and other questions that worry future parents.

Why is it important to listen to the work of the heart?

To begin with, let's define: why do you need to regularly listen to the work of the baby's heart, is it necessary? What does it matter? There are several reasons to do thisjust needed:

1. Confirmation of pregnancy. What time can you hear the fetal heartbeat for the first time? This can be done at a period of 5-6 weeks of pregnancy, just when the expectant mother goes for an ultrasound for the first time. Just at this stage of development, the heart is formed and begins to actively beat. If there is no knock, this indicates the absence of a fetal egg, and hence pregnancy. Silence also indicates a missed pregnancy, when the fetus stops developing and dies.
2. Evaluation of the he alth and condition of the child. Throughout pregnancy, starting from the first study, the work of the baby's heart is regularly listened to. If the work of the heart is constantly high, even at rest, this indicates placental insufficiency. The opposite situation indicates a deterioration in the child's condition and gradual death.
3. Development of the child and diagnosis of parameters during labor. During the delivery period, it is necessary to constantly listen to the baby's heartbeat, because in the process there is a lack of oxygen and strong pressure on the fetus. The heart and blood vessels throughout the body are under great stress, so it is important to listen to the heartbeat to prevent hypoxia in the child.

Methods of listening to the heartbeat

• In the first place, of course, will be ultrasound, which is used to visually assess the embryo and fetus, as well as the condition of the placenta. The tone and heart rate of the fetal egg are studied in particular detail. Predicted using ultrasoundvarious infectious diseases, heart defects, as well as other abnormalities in the development of the baby's organs.
• Cardiotocography, which is called CTG for short. The second most effective method after ultrasound. With the help of it, the activity of the fetus, the work of the heart, both at rest and during periods of mobility, are recorded. It should be noted that the first procedure is done for a period of 32 or more weeks. During this period, the phases of rest and activity of the child are formed, in which the work of the heart is easily heard.
• Echocardiography, like the previous study, focuses specifically on the heart, and not on the general condition of the child. This examination is done between the 18th and 32nd weeks of pregnancy for special indications, such as heart disease, infections in the uterus, pregnancy after 38 years, delayed child development.
• Auscultation. Can you hear the fetal heartbeat with a stethoscope? Definitely yes, this procedure is called "auscultation". It uses not an ordinary device, but an obstetric one, which is more accurate and sensitive. With the help of the procedure, the position of the child and the rhythm, heart rate are revealed.

All these methods can be implemented only in equipped rooms, for all, consultation and assistance of specialists is needed. Expectant mothers are interested in the question: how to hear the fetal heartbeat at home? This is intimate and something very close that connects mom (dad) and the child. Therefore, many future parents want to hear their baby not only in the presence of a doctor.

Fetal Doppler

How to hear the fetal heartbeat at home? In the first place, we put the Doppler, which is the most common device. It can be used from the 12th week of pregnancy, purchased at a pharmacy. Completely different models are produced - from simple to advanced. The first option involves listening to the heartbeat with headphones, in which the number of beats is heard. The device consists of:

• from the display, which in new models is color, in simple copies it is not at all;
• dynamics that conducts sound and processes it, bringing it to the ears of parents;
• battery, which allows the device to work up to 15 hours.

The device allows you to hear the fetal heartbeat at home quickly and clearly, but many are wondering about its effect on the child. There is no reason to worry, so you can safely use the device without worrying that it will harm. The difficulty lies in the fact that the child can feel the operation of the device and change the location, which will change the indicators and affect the result.

Phonendoscope

Surely every family had such a device lying around at home, many of them still had it from their grandmothers, because they used to listen to their pulse when measuring pressure, when the devices were still mechanical. Time passes, technologies change and the question arises: is it possible to hear the fetal heartbeat with the help of a phonendoscope? Of course, you can, it is an analogue of an obstetric stethoscope, which, by the way, can also be purchased atpharmacy. Both devices are easy to use, you just need to attach them to the surface of the abdomen. The difficulty lies in the fact that in addition to the work of the child's heart, there are other sounds - the contraction of the uterus, the work of the intestines or the work of the mother's heart. It is very difficult to count the number and rhythm of contractions, you need help and qualifications, which are often not available.

Using the manual method

The most common question for prospective parents is: Can you hear the fetal heartbeat with your ear? It is possible, but it is absolutely impossible to talk about specific indicators, the accuracy of the results. If the expectant mother is overweight, then the heartbeat will probably not be heard. Another difficulty is that you need to listen at a certain point, it cannot be defined in general, it is individual, depends on the location of the child:

• If the child is lying upside down, then you need to listen below the navel.
• If the location of the child is at the level of the pelvis, then the listening occurs above the navel.
• If the pregnancy is multiple, then knocking can be heard at different points.

What should I do if I can't hear my heartbeat?

Don't worry ahead of time. We have determined how to hear the fetal heartbeat at home, but we recall that all methods are inaccurate. Therefore, the work of the child's heart may not be heard. There are several reasons for this phenomenon:

• excessive weight of the mother, in which the fat layer interferes with hearing and creates interference;
• the baby's shell is attached to the back wall of the uterus, withthis through the belly tapping gets worse;
• Child's activity and constant change of location also affect hearing.

When should you count the rhythm?

There are cases when you need to constantly monitor the work of the child's heart. In such situations, it is necessary to listen daily:

1. Mom's disease, which leads to oxygen starvation of the child.
2. Increased uterine tone compresses the placenta and disrupts blood circulation, resulting in little nutrition and oxygen supply to the fetus.
3. Bleeding and the presence of menstruation during pregnancy at any time. Discharge may indicate placental abruption, so the dynamics of the heartbeat is monitored daily.
4. Anemia of the future mother, in which the hemoglobin level is low, so the fetus needs more nutrients.

Reviews from prospective parents

As the reviews of couples who are expecting a baby show, most try to listen to the work of the heart on their own. In most cases, a conventional phonendoscope is used, which was left over from grandparents.

The main thing is to constantly try and not despair, if you do not hear the baby, it's not scary at all, it takes time.

Conclusion

We answered the question of how to hear the fetal heartbeat at home, as well as what modern means in medicineare used to reflect the dynamics of the baby's heart. If a mother wants to listen to the work of her child's heart out of curiosity, you can use hand tools or a phonendoscope. If it is prescribed by a doctor and you need to track the rhythm, it is better to use a doppler. Be he althy, let the joy of motherhood be even stronger when you hear your baby's heartbeat!