It is very important for every mother-to-be to hear the heartbeat of her unborn baby. Determining the fetal heartbeat has become possible thanks to several methods, for example, using a conventional obstetric stethoscope, an ultrasound apparatus, and also by performing echocardiography of the fetus.
Instructions
Step 1
The easiest way to hear the fetal heartbeat is with a medical phonendoscope. Place the phonendoscope membrane on the abdomen and insert the flexible tubes into the ears. With this device, you can hear other sounds of the female body. However, the heartbeat of a child in the womb can be distinguished by its rhythm - it is about twice as fast as that of a woman. It is possible to hear the heart rate with the help of a phonendoscope only by 16 - 17 weeks of pregnancy. You can distinguish the sounds of a beating heart by putting your ear to the woman's belly, but this already depends on the position of the fetus in relation to the wall of the uterus.
Step 2
Listen to the baby's heartbeat with an ultrasound scan, which can be used to detect the pulsation of the fetal heart muscles as early as 3 or 4 weeks of gestation. With the help of an ultrasonographic device, you can also monitor the correct development of the heart and blood vessels of the fetus. This method allows you to identify possible deviations and provide timely medication.
Step 3
Fetal heartbeats can be heard on echocardiography. This method is an ultrasound examination of the fetus, slightly different from the usual one in that all attention is paid exclusively to the heart. The echocardiograph allows you to study the functions of the fetal heart in two modes. The one-dimensional mode is used to study only the cardiovascular system, and Doppler is intended for the study and analysis of blood flow in different cardiac departments. Echocardiography helps a specialist in the study of the structure and function of the heart, as well as the adjacent large blood vessels, and can be performed exclusively according to the testimony of doctors - cardiologists.
Step 4
Another of the most effective methods of listening to the fetal heartbeat is cardiotocography. It is a simultaneous recording of fetal heartbeats and uterine contractions during labor. Cardiotocography began to be widely used at the end of the last century and provided doctors with the opportunity to more closely monitor the condition of the fetus during the birth period. During the period of contractions, not only the walls of the uterus are subject to contractions, but also the entire abdominal cavity. This primarily affects the supply of oxygen to the child. CTG also makes it possible to determine the motor activity of the fetus.
