Reasons to know your babies heartbeat

When you are an expecting mother, there are few things that could be as overwhelming as the signs of the presence of your baby, be it the bulge in your belly or the slight movements inside it. You visit your doctor, get an ultrasound done to make sure the baby is doing well. While your heartbeat expresses so many gleeful emotions, there is a tiny one inside your womb that holds signs about your baby’s health.While you can listen to the throbbing sound called the Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) directly if it’s audible enough, depending upon the position of the fetus and the nature of your abdominal tissue, there are medical methods, which help in monitoring the FHR.First, external FHR monitoring, which uses a device called the Doppler ultrasound is used to measure the heart rate through your belly.
Second, is the internal FHR monitoring used during labor wherein a transducer is connected to the baby’s scalp through the mother’s cervix.Even with the diagnostic tools available, it helps when you are on the same page as the doctor when it comes to interpreting your baby’s heartbeats. In this case, the FHB gradually increases from about 75 BPM to 130 BPM till the fetus is 5 weeks old and the size of a pencil sharpener.From week 5 to week 8, your baby’s heart rate ranges from 103BPM to 152 BPM, peaking during week 9 with an average of 175.From week 9 to week 12, the heartbeat increases from 120 BPM to 180BPM with an average of 150 BPM—after which it stabilizes at an average of 140 BPM. In case the doctor notices an abnormal FHR, they may ask you to change your position in order to provide the fetus with more oxygen. In most cases, this addresses the issue.Taking folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy help prevent congenital heart disease. Foods that are rich in folic acid include citrus fruits, dried beans, nuts, avocados, peas, green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and turnip greens.