Ectopic heartbeat 38 weeks+ 4days?
just back from the hospital. went in because i had excessive discharge that i thought could have been my waters. apparently it was nothing more than lots of cm! but while i was there, i was checked over with the doppler etc as normal and they thought the baby’s heartbeat sounded irregular.
i was then sent for fetal monitoring which went on for nearly an hour and a half. i was told that the baby has slightly irregular heartbeat and is skipping beats every now and again. she is extremely active, posterior, not engaged yet and otherwise fine. they sent me home and told me that there is nothing to worry about but oh my god! what the hell does this mean? me and hubby are freaking out.. wondering if its the low dose aspirin i have been told to take, the decaf i drink? what causes this and what does it mean?
i said ectopic heartbeat because that is the name of the condition i am asking about. if you dont know even that then why are you answering my question? google it!
Filed under: Fetal Doppler FAQs
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Ok, obviously I am no medical expert but what I do not is that this is pretty common, it is NOT the result of anything you have done, and that it if it was anything serious or abnormal or implied any problem with you baby they would have had her out of there quicker than you could say ‘but I don’t want a c-section’.
I know a few people who have been sent for such monitoring. All were signed off like you and none of them had any problems with the rest of their pregnancies, their labours or their babies.
At one of my appointments, Elina’s heartbeat wasn’t normal, it was way too slow for a while. But I was only 26 weeks or something at the time and they can’t do monitoring until you are slightly past that stage so they just left it.
Probably if you didn’t go to such a good hospital where they give such good care and are over-cautious, then you wouldn’t have even been monitored. If this pattern was a problem then they definitely would have kept you in for 24 hours at least, and probably would have induced you, if not done an emergency c-section.
I know it’s really hard, but try not to worry. And it’s not anything that you have done. Once she is born (all pink and healthy and perfect) then they will listen to her heart and I’m sure it will be just fine.
Why did you say ‘ectopic heartbeat’?
The definition of ‘ectopic’ is as follows:
ec·top·ic [ek-top-ik]
–adjective
occurring in an abnormal position or place; displaced.
When used in reference to pregnancy, an ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that implants OUTSIDE of the uterus, normally in the fallopian tube, and has to be terminated as soon as possible as it is a threat to the mother’s life. It has nothing to do with a full-term baby’s heartbeat.
If your doctor is not worried then everything is fine. I do not know about taking aspirin while pregnant, although I would think it would put you at risk for bleeding, but if your doctor is having you take it then you should ask why. I do know however that decaf coffee is perfectly safe, I could not have gotten through this pregnancy without it!
Just try and stay calm, stress is not good for your baby. If you are this concerned then you should call your doctor to get clarification.
Congrats and good luck!
Edit: I am sorry, I had just never heard of that before. Learn something new everyday! I did do a google search on it and found an article:
http://www.sdhct.nhs.uk/patientcare/pil/23579.pdf?last_updated=09%252F10%252F2006
From that and a few other things I glanced at it looks like almost all babies who have this in the womb are born pink and healthy and it clears up on it’s own.
Thanks for helping me learn something today, and I am sorry if I came off as rude. It was not my intention, I was honestly confused.
it could be a slight heart murmur which most babies outgrow them my son has a grade 1 heat murmur has been to a specialist and it is nothing to worry about no meds no Special treatment he is so Active.
Also babies position could have thrown it off as well, Fetal dopplers use sound waves to pick up a baby’s heart beat in the womb. The probe transmits low ultrasonic waves which hit moving tissue, in this case the baby’s heartbeat. They bounce back and there is a slight change in pitch which is known as the Doppler shift and is the basis upon which most ultrasound procedures are based.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3017972
If your dr was very concerned they would have done an ultrasound on the babies heart.
Honestly I would listen to them and not worry until the baby is here. I know that’s hard to do but with my daughter when she was on the doppler this happened a few times and they thought she could possibly have a heart problem.. it ended up being when I was hooked up to the doppler she was trying to get away from it resulting in her moving and the doppler losing her heartbeat. The dopplers aren’t very accurate for figuring heart problems with your baby. The best thing you can do is relax and try not to stress.. after all a stressed body will keep labor farther away and I’m sure you’re ready to meet your angel anytime now..
I have ectopic heartbeats and only found out when i was pregnant because of the extra pressure on my heart(i passed out nearly every day my whole pregnancy).Dont worry,since i had my little one and before i was pregnant it never caused me any bother.Infact if i hadnt fallen pregnant i would probably never have known.Its nothing you have taken or done so just relax and enjoy your pregnancy.
The same thing happened to my girlfriend and when the baby came, he was perfectly fine. I wouldn’t worry about it. She was frantic too but he came out perfect. I’m sure she will be the same.