
What is the “normal” fetal heart rate?
There is no consensus about the normal fetal heart rate. Current international guidelines recommend for the normal fetal heart rate (FHR) baseline different ranges of 110 to 150 beats per minute (bpm) or 110 to 160 bpm.
What is the normal range of fetal heartbeat?
- The neonate (first 28 days of life): 100-165 bpm while awake and 90-160 bpm while asleep ( source)
- 1-2 months: 100-150 bpm while awake and 90-160 bpm while sleeping
- 1 year: 70-110 bpm while awake and 80-120 bpm while sleeping
- 12 years old: 60-100 bpm—close to that of an adult.
What is the normal heart rate for a fetus?
This is followed by a decrease in FHR becoming on average:
- ~150 bpm by 14 weeks
- ~140 bpm by 20 weeks
- ~130 bpm by term
What is normal heart rate at 12 weeks?
Your baby's heart rate is working at around 160 beats per minute when you're pregnant at 12 weeks – if you have a prenatal appointment this week, you’ll likely hear it for yourself via a fetal Doppler! Although many moms analyze their baby's heart rate to try to determine whether they're having a boy or a girl, this is just an old wives' tale.

Is fetal heart rate of 170 too high?
The normal fetal heart rate is between 120 and 160 beats per minute. Typically, an abnormally fast heart rate is over 200 beats per minute.
What is a high heart rate for a fetus?
By 16 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus' heart is normally completely formed and beats at a rate of 110 to 160 beats per minute (bpm). Fetal tachyarrhythmia is generally defined as a heart rate that exceeds 180 to 200 beats per minute.
Is 175 a good heart rate for a baby?
By the beginning of the ninth week of pregnancy, the normal fetal heart rate is an average of 175 bpm. At this point, it begins a rapid deceleration to the normal fetal heart rate for mid-pregnancy, about 120–180 bpm.
Is 170 heartbeat OK?
A normal resting heart beats at a rate of 60-100 times per minute. If you have ventricular tachycardia, your ventricles generate a much faster heart rate than normal – many patients experiencing heart rates in the range of 170 or more beats per minute.
What are signs of Down syndrome in a fetus?
What is Down Syndrome?A flattened face, especially the bridge of the nose.Almond-shaped eyes that slant up.A short neck.Small ears.A tongue that tends to stick out of the mouth.Tiny white spots on the iris (colored part) of the eye.Small hands and feet.A single line across the palm of the hand (palmar crease)More items...•
Does fetal heart rate indicate Downs Syndrome?
Fetal heart rate of the trisomic fetuses was distributed around the median with that of all Down's syndrome fetuses within the normal range. In one fetus with trisomy 18, the heart rate exceeded the 90th centile, in another it fell under the 10th centile.
What causes a high fetal heart rate?
The fetal heart rate may change as your baby responds to conditions in your uterus. An abnormal fetal heart rate may mean that your baby is not getting enough oxygen or that there are other problems.
What causes a high heart rate in babies?
The loss of body fluids through poor feeding, excessive perspiration, vomiting or diarrhea can reduce blood volume, causing the heart to beat faster to maintain normal blood pressure. Dehydration is a common cause of infant death, especially in developing countries.
Can a baby boy have a heart rate of 160?
A baby boy or girl can have a heart rate of 160bpm, a normal fetal heart rate is anywhere from 120bpm to 160bpm. Your results can vary with every use of an at-home doppler or scan. It depends on the age of the fetus and its activity level whilst the heart rate is being taken.
What is the highest heart rate ever?
The fastest human ventricular conduction rate reported to date is a conducted tachyarrhythmia with ventricular rate of 480 beats per minute.
What is the highest possible heart rate?
You can estimate your maximum heart rate based on your age. To estimate your maximum age-related heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, for a 50-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 – 50 years = 170 beats per minute (bpm).
Is 175 bpm high?
Your heart rate may be 15 to 20 bpm higher or lower. Use a monitor to keep track....How to determine your ideal running heart rate.Age in yearsTarget heart rate (bpm)Maximum heart rate (bpm)4588-1491755085-1451706080-1361607075-1281504 more rows•Sep 13, 2018
Is a fetal heart rate of 160 too high?
The average fetal heart rate is between 110 and 160 beats per minute. It can vary by 5 to 25 beats per minute. The fetal heart rate may change as your baby responds to conditions in your uterus. An abnormal fetal heart rate may mean that your baby is not getting enough oxygen or that there are other problems.
Is 170 bpm too high for fetus at 12 weeks?
A normal fetal heart rate (FHR) usually ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute (bpm) in the in utero period. It is measurable sonographically from around 6 weeks and the normal range varies during gestation, increasing to around 170 bpm at 10 weeks and decreasing from then to around 130 bpm at term.
Is 172 bpm too high for fetus?
A fetus's heart rate will usually range between 110 to 160 beats per minute (bpm), but it can vary throughout pregnancy.
Is a fetal heart rate of 120 normal?
Normal ranges for FHR are 120 to 160 bpm. Many international guidelines define ranges of 110 to 160 bpm which seem to be safe in daily practice.
How long does it take for a fetal heart rate to slow down?
There is also a slowing of the normal fetal heart rate in the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, though the normal fetal heart rate is still about twice the normal adult's resting heart rate.
What is the normal heart rate for a baby at 9 weeks pregnant?
By the beginning of the ninth week of pregnancy, the normal fetal heart rate is an average of 175 bpm. At this point, it begins a rapid deceleration to the normal fetal heart rate for mid-pregnancy ...
How many beats per minute does a baby beat?
At about five weeks gestation, your baby's heart begins to beat. At this point, a normal fetal heart rate is about the same as the mother's: 80–85 beats per minute (bpm). From this point, it will increase its rate of about three beats per minute per day during that first month. This is so exact that your doctor or midwife can actually use heart rate to help pinpoint the gestational age of your baby via ultrasound.
What does it mean when you hear your baby's heartbeat?
While the heart rate in pregnancy is faster than an adult's heart rate, the truth is that a normal fetal heart rate changes during the stages of pregnancy and throughout the day.
How to monitor fetus in labor?
Fetal monitoring in labor can be done by intermittent auscultation, which means listening with a stethoscope, fetoscope, or handheld doppler at various points in labor. Your baby may be monitored intermittently with an external monitoring belt. Or your practitioner may recommend continuous monitoring, either external or internal. 2
Does fetal heart rate vary?
Your baby's normal fetal heart rate will also vary naturally, just as your heart rate does. Movement, sleeping, and other activities can cause normal variation. Be sure to talk to your midwife or doctor about the concerns that you have with your baby's heart rate.
Is it normal to hear a heartbeat?
Rest assured, it is most likely normal. Simply ask your practitioner for advice if you are concerned.
What is the normal fetal heart rate?
It is faster than the average adult's heart rate. That said, your baby’s heart rate changes gradually throughout pregnancy. In the early stages of pregnancy, the fetal heart rate is between 110 to 180 beats per minute (bpm.)
How does a baby's heart rate vary?
Your baby’s average heart rate will vary based on fetal age and the conditions inside the uterus. There are two fetal heart monitoring methods: external fetal heart monitoring and internal fetal heart monitoring. External fetal monitoring is done using a device that detects a baby’s heartbeat through the mother’s abdomen.
When will the heartbeat start for a baby?
A baby’s heart will start beating at 5 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. This is around the time that the fetus begins to form from the embryo. A vaginal ultrasound will detect the fetus inside your womb at this stage.
Is 170 bpm too high for a fetus?
Answering this question is tricky, as it depends on which stage of gestation your baby is in to know what a higher heart rate is.
How to listen to a baby's heartbeat?
Here are some devices that you can use at home to listen to your baby’s heartbeat: 1 Stethoscope: A stethoscope will detect your baby's heartbeat at 18 to 20 weeks. 2 Fetal doppler: This is a device that allows you to listen to your baby's heartbeat by sending soundwaves through the mother's belly to the baby. A fetal doppler can be used as early as nine weeks to listen to your baby's heartbeat.
How does fetal monitoring work?
Internal fetal monitoring uses an electrode wire from the cervix to the baby’s head to monitor its heartbeat. This method is only done when the fluid-filled amniotic sac has broken. At this point, the cervix is open to allow the wire to enter the uterus.
What to do if you have questions about fetal heartbeat?
If you have any questions or concerns about the fetal heartbeat by week chart, talk to your doctor or OB-GYN. And remember that an at-home fetal doppler shouldn’t replace the appointments you have with medical professionals throughout your pregnancy. A fetal doppler is a tool for you to connect with your baby.
What is the normal heart rate for a baby in the first trimester?
Fetal heart rate in the first and second trimester. A normal fetal heart rate (FHR) usually ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute (bpm) in the in utero period. It is measurable sonographically from around 6 weeks and the normal range varies during gestation, increasing to around 170 bpm at 10 weeks and decreasing from then to around 130 bpm ...
How many BPM is normal for a baby?
It is measurable sonographically from around 6 weeks and the normal range varies during gestation, increasing to around 170 bpm at 10 weeks and decreasing from then to around 130 bpm at term.
How many beats per minute does a fetus beat?
FHR then increases progressively over the subsequent 2-3 weeks becoming 7: This is followed by a decrease in FHR becoming on average: Although in the healthy fetus the heart rate is usually regular, a beat-to-beat variation of approximately 5 to 15 beats per minute can be allowed.
How many beats per minute is a normal fetal heartbeat?
A normal fetal heart is between 120 and 160 beats per minute. ( source) This is a lot faster than most parents expect to hear. In fact, it’s almost twice that of an adult heartbeat.
What is the normal heart rate for a baby?
Gestational age: A baby’s heart rate starts out slower in the very beginning, then speeds up. It levels off to the normal fetal heart rate range of 120-160 bpm by mid-pregnancy. If your baby’s heart rate is out of range, check your due date first. There’s a chance dating is off!
What If Baby’s Heart Rate Doesn’t Fall Within the Normal Range?
Remember: Baby’s heart rate isn’t always consistent in the early stages of pregnancy. It varies from baby to baby and even pregnancy to pregnancy.
What foods can cause a fetal heart rate to increase?
Mama’s diet: Food and beverages like coffee, chocolate, and sugar are stimulants, and can affect whether baby has a normal fetal heart rate at that moment. If you consume these things prior to an ultrasound, it can cause a temporary increase in heart rate. A normal fetal heart rate is an indicator of good fetal health.
What is the average BPM for a newborn?
Once baby is born, he/she will maintain the 120-160 bpm average range for the first few hours, but after that:
When can you hear a baby's heart beat on an ultrasound?
Mamas who opt to limit, or forgo, ultrasounds may not hear baby’s heart beat until closer to 20 weeks when it’s strong enough to hear with a fetoscope. (More on the difference between a doppler and a fetoscope below!)
When does the heart rate start to increase?
When the heart is first beating and still developing, it is normal for the fetal heart rate to start out at a much slower rate, increasing daily, until it starts to stabilize and beat within the expected range around the 12th week of pregnancy. Take a peek at this fetal heart rate chart to get an idea of how it changes week to week:
Is Turner syndrome fetal bradycardia?
Trisomy 21, trisomy 13 and Turner syndrome are associated with fetal tachycardia, whereas in trisomy 18 and triploidy there is fetal bradycardia. Inclusion of fetal heart rate in a first-trimester screening program for trisomy 21 by a combination of maternal age and fetal nuchal translucency thickne …
Is heart rate higher in trisomy 13?
In trisomy 21, trisomy 13 and Turner syndrome fetal heart rate was significantly higher, in trisomy 18 and triploidy the heart rate was lower and in other sex chromosome defects it was not significantly different from normal.
