Irregular heartbeat In fetus

[Family4Christ]

Hi mamas, when I was at the ER today, I noticed a weird skipping on my baby's heart. I didn't think anything of it, as I thought maybe she was moving away or something. Well, I decided to listen tonight and her heart skips a complete beat very frequently (as soon as every 5th and as high as every 10th). Most if the time, it skips every 5th beat. I'll post an audio tomorrow.

So, how concerned should I be? Have any of you have this issue?I don't have but minimum caffeine (a little chocolate). Her heartbeat was normal up until now.

Thanks!

[othersomethings]

Hm. I would be concerned if it were me, and would absolutely bring it up at my next appointment. And if they didn't do anything about it I would go find someone who gave a crap.

My cousin just had a baby with a heart defect, and through all the research and stuff they've shared I found out that 1 in 100 babies is born with some kind of congenital heard defect. I had NO IDEA!

So yes. If it was me, I would want to make 100% sure my baby was fine, and would want a second opinion if necessary. No need to make mountains out of mole hills, but I wouldn't call an irregular heartbeat a mole hill. It's a legitimate concern.

I'll pray for you mama, I really hope it's just a random thing and not a big deal! Only one way to find out though. ****hugs*****

[spargel]

Funny, I was just reading about this last night in my fetal development book: Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Glade Curtis (just giving you a cite so you don't think I pulled it from nowhere!)

It says that Arrhythmias in a fetus are not unusual, that they have multiple causes: they may occur as the heart grows and develops and that as the heart matures, it often disappears. It can also appear in the fetus of a pregnant woman who has lupus.

It goes on to say that if an arrhythmia is discovered before L&D, you may require fetal heart rate monitoring during labor. It also says that when an arrhythmia is detected during labor, it may be desirable to have a pediatrician present at the time of delivery so that if there is a problem, the baby can be treated right away.

I don't know how far along you are, but I just did a fetal echocardiogram US at 26 weeks to make sure that everything was ok. Maybe that would give you some peace of mind? Either way, it's worth mentioning to your doctor.

[Jodie8]

Sounds like variability to me which is completely normal.

[Family4Christ]

Thank you, mamas!

I found a lady that had the exact same issue as me and a ped cardiologist answered her question. Made me feel a ton better. I'm still going to go for an echo to make sure all is well.

Here's the link.