when doctors say the heart trace is not good, I never thought to question that, does anyone know what the normal ranges for fetal heartrate are during different stages of labour?
Kate
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when doctors say the heart trace is not good, I never thought to question that, does anyone know what the normal ranges for fetal heartrate are during different stages of labour?
Kate
The average heart rate for a newborn ranges from 120-160 beats per minute. In order to score 2 on the Apgar test for heart rate (the best score), it needs to be over 100 beats per minute. I couldn't find anything about an average for fetal heart rate, but I would imagine that when doctors talk about heart rate not being good, they would mean it's under 100. However, I am no expert so don't quote me on that.
During my labour, my littles girls heartrate was going down to 80, which got the midwives running round like headless chooks.. apparently that is a bit low, although I dont really know what number the heart rate has to be before they get concerned. During my pregnancy, her heart rate was always around 130 - 160.
110 160 is the guide for normal fetal heart rate in pregnancy and into labor
at around 3-5cm the heart rate can dip a little with contractions with a quick return to baseline (average heart rate)
in the 2nd stage directed pushing (chin to chest hold your breath and push) decreases babes heart rate dramatically with sometimes slow to return to baseline...which is why this method of directed pushing is not advised
a heart rate that dips in contraction and then slowly returns to baseline after a contraction indicates that the baby is stressed in labor
Thank you for that, can I ask too, is some fetal stress during labour normal? When does it become a problem warranting intervention such as CS. Also, I think the ob told me my baby's heart rate was too high during labour, my notes indicate that it went up temporarily at 9cm, what would that mean?
Kate
hi kate
variations in the fetal heart rate during labor are normal
fetal stress is indicated if the babes heart rate does not 'bounce' back after a contraction or if the heart rate stays below 100 (fetal bradycardia)
a fetal heart rate that increases does not necessarily mean fetal stress. A heart rate of 160 plus that becomes the norm (the baseline) does indicate that the baby is stressed...fetal tachycardia
a temporary increase in the heart rate simply indicates a healthy central nervous system of the baby and has no negative bearing
of course this is general info and many factors can counter into decisions made during labor and birth
I hope this helps