One of the things that the doctors monitor in order to make sure that everything is alright with the baby is fetal heartbeat. This is usually performed with the help of ultrasound and there are some guidelines that tell doctor whether the baby is developing normally or not.
Early fetal heart rate development
The heart tube of the baby known as primitive heart tube is made of angiogenic cell clusters. This tube develops three to four weeks after conception and by going through an amazing transformation it will become a heart with four chambers. Heartbeat starts at about the 21st day.
When talking about fetal heart rate we also have to consider the fact that it was pumping blood at the earliest stages as well. All this miracle takes place during the 5th week, and after this time you should have the first prenatal visit to make sure that the baby is doing fine.
Fetal heartbeat
Starting with the 5th week, it accelerates at a speed of 3.3 beats per day. The same heart rate will be measured during the following month. Although it seems to be slow, just think about the fact that a few weeks ago the baby didn’t even have a heart, even more, a few weeks before there was no baby.
After this time the fetal heart rate takes up the speed of the mother’s heart beat of about 80-85 beats per minute. If the starting rate is of 80 bpm, then the 5th week starts at this speed and ends at 103 bpm. The 6th week starts with 103 bpm and ends with 126 bpm. The following week starts with 126 bpm and ends with 149 bpm.
The 8th week starts with 149 bpm and ends with 172 bpm. During the 9th week the heart rate is of between 155 bpm and 195 bpm. In normal conditions the fetal heartbeat increases and then decreases remaining within the range of 120-160 bpm by the 12th week.
Gender prediction
According to some people when it comes to fetal heart rate there are some indicators that can tell the parents the gender of the baby. It is believed that if it is above 140 bpm then it is a girl, and in case it is below 140 bpm it is ought to be a boy.
This belief regarding fetal heartbeat is based on the fact that girls have a faster metabolism, but we have to consider that this isn’t enough proof to support the theory. Even more, there are some studies that show that there is no real connection between the heart rate and gender.
It is true that it may be tempting for the parents to analyze the fetal heart rate, but you should make sure not to give too much importance to the tiny heartbeats of the baby because according to the scientists it has nothing to do with what the baby has between his or her legs.
Studies
There have been numerous studies conducted regarding the fetal heartbeat and gender, and the majority of them disproved the theory. According to the study made during the 1980’s, a doctor analyzed 10,000 babies regarding their heartbeat and he also made sure to find out the gender of the baby.
After the study handling the fetal heart rate was over it was clear to the doctor that there is no actual relationship between the gender and heart rate.
As you can see the fetal heartbeat is important just to make sure that the baby is alright in the womb, but the parents shouldn’t think that it means more.
