Pregnancy tips What Is A Normal Fetal Heart Rate?

Just before one of my miscarriages, I had an ultrasound. The first thing the doctor said when he came into the room after the PA had the ultrasound positioned on my baby was "the heartbeat is slow". I started to get this sinking feeling like he was giving my baby a death sentence. Well...I know it wasn't his fault, he was just the messenger--I did lose the pregnancy.

Many women wonder what a normal fetal heartrate should be. Here is a site that explains more:

fetaldopplerFACTS.org

Here is an excerpt from the site above:

"What should my baby's fetal heart-rate be?
The normal fetal heart rate is between 110 to 180 beats per minutes (BPM), but can vary. Fluctuations of the fetal heart rate (usually associated with fetal movement) during different periods of the day are common and often rise above 160, going as high as 180 to 190 and are considered normal. If you have questions or concerns about your baby's fetal heart rate always direct them to your healthcare professional.

What hearing a healthy heartbeat signifies
Listening to a normally beating heart using a fetal ultrasound doppler as early as 8 weeks can offer reassurance and cut down on a lot of stress and help assure that the developing fetus is healthy. While miscarriage occurs in only about 15 percent of apparently normal pregnancies, it only occurs in about 1 percent of pregnancies where a normal heartbeat has been seen or heard."