i feel a heartbeat in my stomach am i pregnant

#I feel a heartbeat in my stomach am i pregnant full#
#I feel a heartbeat in my stomach am i pregnant free#

If, when listening to your baby’s heart beat with a pinard stethoscope or doptone device, your midwife or doctor thinks there may be a problem, they may recommend that you change to EFM. Sometimes, for reasons which would be explained to you, the baby’s heart beat is picked up by using a small electrode which is placed onto the baby’s head, and attached by a thin wire to the machine, and this would mean you would need to have an internal (vaginal) examination in order for this to happen. EFM using the two external transducers is a non- invasive method. The information received by the transducers is converted by electronics within the machine to produce a print out on graph paper. One is placed towards the top of your abdomen, so that is lies over the upper end of your womb(uterus) to pick up your contractions the second one will be positioned on your abdomen, over the area where your baby’s heartbeat can be heard best. The EFM machine works by having two pads (transducers) each about the size of a drinks coaster, held in place on your abdomen with two elastic belts.

#I feel a heartbeat in my stomach am i pregnant full#

Midwives and doctors listen to your baby’s heartbeat over a full minute, every 15 minutes once your labour is established and then more frequently as you get nearer the birth.Ĭontinuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) - is where your baby’s heart beat is listened to continuously using a machine that produces a paper printout called a cardiotocograph (CTG).

When pregnancy and labour are uncomplicated, research has now shown that the use of continuous Electronic fetal monitoring does not improve the outcome for the baby.

#I feel a heartbeat in my stomach am i pregnant free#

If you are healthy and have had a trouble free pregnancy this is the recommended way of listening to your baby’s heartbeat during labour. Intermittent auscultation - is where your baby’s heart beat is listened to at regular intervals with either a pinard or a small hand-held ultrasound device called a Doptone. Your baby’s heartbeat can be listened to in a number of different ways, either at regular intervals (intermittent auscultation) or continuously (electronic fetal monitoring (EFM). How is my baby’s heart rate is listened to and monitored? If your baby is not coping well, this may well be reflected in the pattern of their heartbeat.Īs well as monitoring your baby’s heartbeat, your pulse (heartbeat) will also be checked in order to tell the difference between them. This is normal and most babies cope without any difficulty. The variation in the baby’s heart rate may be caused by the womb contracting, which affects the blood flow to the placenta (afterbirth). The normal range for the rate of the baby’s heartbeat is between 110 and 160 beats a minute, although this can be higher or lower without meaning that the baby is in difficulty. The best way of finding out which babies are having trouble is to listen to every baby’s heartbeat regularly throughout labour.

Most babies come through labour without any problems, but there are a few babies who run into difficulties. A major part of midwifery care during labour is listening to and recording your baby’s heartbeat to help identify if there are any problems.