When Can You Hear Your Baby’s Heartbeat?
What we’ll cover in this post:
As exciting as pregnancy is, it may also come with some worry. In those early weeks of pregnancy, you may find yourself biting your nails while waiting to hear your baby’s heartbeat for the first time.
After getting that positive pregnancy test, hearing your baby’s heartbeat is the next huge milestone of pregnancy. Some pregnant folks even choose to wait to announce their pregnancy until they hear a heartbeat. If you are choosing to do this, that wait may be even more agonizing.
Some common questions many new moms / birthing folks have:
“When does a baby have a heartbeat?”
“Can you hear a heartbeat at 6 weeks?”
“When can you hear a fetal heartbeat?”
Motherboard is here to answer all of your questions in one place!
How do you hear baby’s heartbeat during pregnancy?
Most pregnant folks hear the baby’s heartbeat at their first prenatal appointment with either a fetal doppler or via ultrasound. Or, you may hear it at home if you purchase an at-home doppler before you even have your first prenatal appointment (though this could be challenging as it’s probably too early to hear much).
Since every pregnant person and every pregnancy is different, let’s talk about all of the things that can contribute to when you’ll be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat and how your baby’s heartbeat develops throughout pregnancy.
When does your baby have a heartbeat?
Although your baby is only about the size of a poppy seed, their heart starts beating around 4-6 weeks of pregnancy, or around 22 days after conception. This is right around the time most people find out they’re pregnant!
This early on, you most likely wouldn’t be able to see or hear your baby’s heartbeat yet. If your baby is only the size of a poppy seed, imagine how small their heart is at this point!
Baby’s heart rate and how it develops
There are many scientific and biological terms that we could get into, but we will try and keep things simple.
5 weeks of pregnancy
By around 5 weeks of pregnancy, two small tubes will be formed. These two tubes will eventually fuse together to become your baby’s heart.
If you go for an early ultrasound, you may hear this referred to as the “fetal pole”. On an ultrasound, the fetal pole is seen as thickening in the margin of the yolk sac (where your teeny tiny baby is). This is sometimes the first sign of a viable pregnancy.
6-7 weeks of pregnancy
At around 6 or 7 weeks of pregnancy, these two tubes will twist and turn around each other. They will then split into 4 chambers, two atria and two ventricles, just like we have!
9 weeks of pregnancy
By around 9 weeks of pregnancy, all four chambers of the heart are fully formed.
Your baby’s heart also forms blood vessels, big and small. These blood vessels help carry oxygenated blood to their brain and organs and deoxygenated blood away from them. The umbilical cord and placenta help to carry this blood between you and your baby.
After birth
Once your baby is earthside, their lungs will essentially take the place of the umbilical cord/placenta to help transport oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to and from their vital organs.
When can you hear your baby’s heartbeat?
6 week ultrasound
If you have a transvaginal ultrasound (ultrasound taken through an ultrasound wand placed in the vagina instead of through your belly) as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy, you may be able to see your baby’s heart fluttering!
Unless you specifically request an ultrasound this early, you’re seeing a high risk OBGYN, you’re totally unsure of when you fell pregnant, or there’s some other concern, you will most likely not have an appointment this early in a pregnancy.
First prenatal appointment
Most commonly, you will have your first prenatal visit around 10 or 12 weeks pregnant. Depending on your healthcare provider and your wishes, you may or may not have an ultrasound at this first appointment. Your healthcare provider may use a fetal doppler over your stomach to hear and measure your baby’s heartbeat.
While it may be disappointing, you might not be able to hear baby’s heartbeat this early with a doppler.
Some reasons why you may not be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat around 10-12 weeks of pregnancy with a doppler include:
Baby’s position in your uterus
Your weight/amount of abdominal tissue
The accuracy of your due date
If you are unable to hear the heartbeat with the doppler at your first prenatal appointment, you can always request an ultrasound to help ease your mind.
What is normal for a baby’s heartbeat?
By around 6 weeks of pregnancy, your baby’s heartbeat will be about 110 beats per minute. As the next two or three weeks pass, the heart rate will increase to about 150-170 beats per minute.
*Fun Fact: Our adult heart rate is only around 60-80 beats per minute!
Once you are around 20 weeks pregnant, your baby’s heart rate will slow down a bit to around 140 beats per minute.
Every baby is a little bit different, so while you’re in labor, a fetal heart rate of anywhere between 110-160 beats per minute is considered normal.
Are dopplers safe to use at home?
While there isn’t any solid evidence to show that home dopplers are unsafe, your healthcare provider may advise against it.
Home dopplers are not as sophisticated as the dopplers used in healthcare offices, so they may not be as accurate or as sensitive as professional medical dopplers.
Because of this, you may experience more anxiety when using a home doppler.
Common errors that can occur while using home dopplers:
Not being able to find baby’s heartbeat
Mistaking your heartbeat for your baby’s heartbeat
An inaccurate measurement of baby’s heart rate
If using a home doppler is something you’d like to do, you can always bring your doppler to one of your prenatal appointments. Your healthcare provider will be able to compare your doppler with their professional doppler.
If you are trying to use a home doppler before you’ve had a prenatal visit and you’re having trouble finding your baby’s heartbeat, DON’T PANIC!
User error is common with home dopplers and it may just be too early to hear your baby’s heartbeat at home.
Remember, around 10-12 weeks of pregnancy, your baby is only about the size of a strawberry!
Just like with ultrasounds, these dopplers transmit ultrasound waves. Using an ultrasound can slightly warm tissue, which could be potentially harmful if used excessively.
Some people may also be tempted to reach for their home doppler every day or multiple times a day.
If you choose to use a home doppler, it’s probably best to use it for just a couple of minutes once or twice a week to be cautious.
Lastly, NEVER use a home doppler in place of medical care. Always seek prompt medical attention, whether your home doppler is picking up a fetal heartbeat or not, if you are experiencing:
Decreased fetal movement
Spotting/bleeding
Abdominal pain
Anything else unsettling or worrisome
Can you hear a baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope?
Any kid who played doctor as a kid probably knows what a stethoscope is!
Stethoscopes are earpieces connected to long tubes with a listening pad at the end that are typically used by healthcare professionals to listen to hearts, lungs, bowel sounds, and more.
Good news is, you can hear your baby’s heartbeat with a stethoscope, but there are some pros and cons.
Pros to using a stethoscope to listen to baby’s heartbeat:
No safety risks involved because there are no ultrasound waves
Very easy to obtain
You can find them pretty cheap
Cons to using a stethoscope to listen to baby’s heartbeat:
They can’t be used until around 18-20 weeks of pregnancy
Only one person can hear the heartbeat at a time while using
You should be in a very quiet location since stethoscopes amplify all sounds
The Takeaway
By the time you find out you’re pregnant, it’s likely that your tiny little baby already has a heartbeat.
You may opt to get a fetal doppler to use at home, but there are a few things to keep in mind when using those:
It’s common to misuse them
Using a hope doppler too early may cause some anxiety if you can’t find baby’s heartbeat
They may not be as accurate as professional dopplers
They should not be used excessively
Never use a home doppler in place of seeking medical care
Stethoscopes are another option for listening to your baby’s heartbeat at home, you may just have to wait longer until baby (and their heart) is big enough to hear it.
So, when can you hear a baby heartbeat?
Although his/her little heart is fluttering away in there, you may not get a chance to hear it until you’re closer to 12 weeks pregnant.
You can expect to hear your baby’s heartbeat either via ultrasound or by a fetal doppler.
Regardless of when you finally hear that sweet heartbeat, enjoy it. It’s one of the best sounds you’ll ever hear!
🤍 The [M]otherboard Team
