How to See Fetal Heartbeat in Early Pregnancy

Whether you are embarking on your first pregnancy or you are a mother who has been through it before, few things compare to the sight and sound of your baby's heartbeat. Using an ultrasound machine, it's possible to use sound waves to create an image of the fetal heartbeat, and fetus itself, as early as the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Ultrasounds produce pictures that are important in gauging how the pregnancy is progressing. Frequently, an ultrasound will be used in each of an expectant mother's doctor visits to compare the fetus' growth and vital statistics.

Things You'll Need

• Ultrasound machine
• Lubricant jelly
• Fetus (at least 12 weeks along)

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Instructions

Getting Started

• 1

  Expose the expectant mother's stomach region.

• 2

  Spread lubricant jelly on exposed skin and on the transducer. This will allow the transducer to move easily across the skin, protect the elements within the adapter and help promote the flowing of sound waves from the machine into the womb.

• 3

  Pass the transducer over the stomach region. Sound waves from 3.5 to 7 megahertz will be sent into the womb and present the depiction of the baby's heartbeat and shape on the monitor screen.

• 4

  Analyze the heartbeat. Generally, a healthy 180 beats per minute is expected at 12 weeks. As the pregnancy progresses, the heartbeat should be between 120 and 160 beats per minute.