Low fetal heartrate

[Trinity42]

Im not sure what to make of this but when i went to the dr my babys heartrate was only 120 4 weeks ago it was 179 its really got me worried becasue my heartrate was 116 when they checked my blood pressure, Im worried they herd my heart and not babys. I dont know what a low fetal heartrate means... The dr didnt seem to worried about it but shes not to nice anyway.

 

[LouLou78]

Please don't worry. If the Doctor isn't worried then please don't be. When it comes to interpreting your baby's heart rate you may have read or heard that a heart rate above or below a certain number is worrying so as a patient you may be listening out for it and in your head be trying to interpret it yourself every time you hear it. The fact that you heard it at 120 or even 179bpm are actually quite normal. Baby's movements can make a heart rate have accelerative periods which can cause you anxiety if you don't know how to interpret a HR. If your Doctor was worried then you would have been sent in for a CTG for a heart trace for further investigation of the baby's wellbeing depending on your gestation. Remember your baby's fetal heart will not be the same number everytime you listen in. What matters is that the Baseline of the fetal heart runs between 110-160bpm with accelerations which can go outside this baseline zone, like the 179bpm you heard. If you listened long enough you may have heard this acceleration return to a nice baseline between 110-160bpm. Health professionals are experienced in interpreting a fetal heart and will know what a healthy heart rate sounds like. So for example your baby's heart may have been running at a baseline of 115bpm and with accelerations, so it will go up to 179bpm during the baby's active period and then the heart rate may settle back down to the baseline, this is totally normal. So the little snippets of a heart rate for a health professional is easy to identify as being healthy but to someone else a worry. Hope this helps

 

[Snowball]

Try not to worry. Ozzie's heartrate was 118 at one of my appointments and I got in a panic. He is now here and perfectly fine. Try to relax

 

[Sunshine.]

I'm sure your little baby will be doing fine. If you are ever concerned talk to your Doctor, even if he only re confirms what he has already told you, it will put your mind at ease.

x

 

[Trinity42]

I was just worried becasue my hubby other childern have heart problems, as a matter of fact his ex wife is telling him his 1year old is having surgery soon... Not sure to believe her. One week his daughter has a tumer, the next swine flue shes always telling him something to make him worry but it always ends up making me upset more than anything.

 

[minnesotagal]

How about a new doctor? You deserve someone who is nice to you, and who will spend the time you need reassuring you. Do you have the option of switching?

Hang in there! We are sending good thoughts your way.

 

[MissRhead]

try not to worry, at my last apointment my babys was 122bpm and my midwife said thats fine, and well right now hes kicking hell out of my insides hehe xx