Baby Heartbeat Monitors

So, you're about to experience the miracle of new birth, or know someone that is.  Well, first I suppose congratulations are in order.  Now, let's talk about some specific pre-natal stuff you need to know, specifically, what the benefits to using a pre-natal heart monitor (often called a baby heartbeat monitor) are.

What is a pre-natal heart monitor?  This is a device that allows you to listen to your baby's heartbeat while still in the womb. It's reassuring to know that your baby is doing well, and that the heartbeat is strong. If you learn what the heartbeat should sound like, you can let your doctor know early if the heartbeat doesn't sound right, or if there is an anomaly. Sometimes, the pre-natal monitor will even have an interface for your telephone so the doctor can hear the baby's heartbeat first hand.

Another feature that many pre-natal monitors offer is the ability to record the heartbeat, either to your computer or sometimes to your iPod or other devices. The most common use for this feature is send your baby's heartbeat to your friends and family, but can also be used to listen more carefully for anomalies.

The embryonic heart begins beating around the fifth week of pregnancy, but it will be too small to hear, or even see in most cases on an ultrasound. It's possible to see it on an ultrasound, as early as four weeks, and will be seen as a flickering in the chest, but in most cases you just won't see or hear it yet.

Around nine or ten weeks you'll be able to hear the heartbeat at your doctor's office, using a Doppler instrument. This is similar to the pre-natal monitors that you can get at home, but more powerful, using sound waves that bounce off the heart to give you the heartbeat's sound. Sometimes you can't hear the heartbeat this early. It depends on the position of the uterus, how heavy you are, and whether the instrument is placed at the correct angle.

However, by the 12th week you'll be able to hear the heartbeat at your pre-natal appointments for sure, with the amplification provided by the instrument your OB-GYN uses. To measure the heart rate, either count for a full minute or count for fifteen seconds and multiply the heartbeats by four. Your practitioner will know what the baby's heartbeat should sound like and may not even count unless it doesn't sound normal. It is common for the Doppler instrument to pick up the mother's heartbeat instead of the fetus' and your practitioner will be able to tell which is which. The mother's heart rate should be under 100, and that baby's will be over 120.

At about 20 weeks you'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat without the Doppler amplification.  This means that you can use the home pre-natal heart monitors to listen to your baby's heartbeat, or sometimes an ordinary stethoscope, if you use the bell side.  If you feel around the uterus the firm side will generally be the baby's back, and this is often the best place to hear the heartbeat with a home monitor.

Something to keep in mind is that if you are carrying twins it will be extremely difficult for you to be able to listen to both heartbeats. In fact, sometimes even your doctor cannot ensure that they are hearing both heartbeats with the amplified Doppler and may have to do an ultrasound to make sure that both baby's hearts are visible and beating.

The Doppler instruments for home use can run as much as $400 to $750 dollars if you buy them brand new, but places like online auction sites can get you a home fetal heartbeat monitor for as little as $50 or $100 bucks if you want to go that route.

Keep in mind, that listening to your baby's heartbeat at home with a home fetal heartbeat monitoring device cannot match the precision and trained ear of your Ob-Gyn and that you may often hear things that sound anomalous or you may not be able to hear the baby's heart beat at all.  This is no cause for panic because 99.9 percent of the time this is from human error, and your baby is fine. Other things you may hear while listening to your heart beat is the sound of nutrients entering the placenta, the sound of your baby kicking (sounds like a soft thud) and your own heartbeat. You may also hear your baby's hiccups.

Some of the features that you may want to look for if you are getting a home fetal monitoring device are:

• A mode to listen in both real time and a mode to average the baby's heartbeats out over a certain period (say a minute)
• Easy to find replacement batteries such as AA or AAA.
• Headphone jack and sometimes included headphones
• Attachment to plug your heart monitor into various devices to record such as your computer, your iPod or other Mp3 device, or sometimes your telephone.
• LCD screen with a backlight
• Included Gel
• Included Instruction booklet
• Warranty (especially for used items)

Listening to your baby's heartbeat can be a rewarding and even spiritual experience and one to be shared by family and friends, and a fetal heart monitor will give you hours of joy of listening to your baby's heartbeat. Keep in mind however, that feeling the movements of your baby will give you the best indication of whether or not your baby is healthy and moving around. Do not rely on the fetal heart monitor to give you the best indication of whether or not your baby is healthy.  This is best done by monitoring the movements your baby makes while in the womb, regular visits to your Ob-Gyn and supplemented by fetal heart monitoring devices at home.

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Baby Heartbeat Monitor is a post from: More About Pregnancy

A good amount of carbohydrates are also essential in a pregnancy diet. Absence of sufficient starch in the pre natal stage, could lead to the formation of ketone bodies in the blood which are harmful to the fetal brain. For the mother, it can also cause constipation since they provide for the additional iron requirements of the baby.

Fruits are a rich and easy source of vitamins for both the mother and the child. The only slight danger of making way to obesity, especially high risk women who are already over weight or suffer from hypotension and diabetes.

Usually, a good and regulated carbohydrate diet would include fruits, whole wheat and grains with minimal rice, pasta and white flour. A high carb diet usually works better when distributed over a greater number of meals. While salads, nuts and juices are good, processed meat should be avoided at all costs. Lean meat only contains empty calories and negligible nutrients. High levels of salt, spices and sauces and caffeine are a strict no-no. The baby’s health is a direct reflection of the quality of diet of the mother, so optimum care should be taken.

Along with the diet, what is also important is being physically, emotionally and mentally prepared to undergo this crucial period of pregnancy. It is at this time that the love and support of the father and immediate family comes extremely handy as well. While there are numerous significant changes that go on continuously in the body, good pre and postnatal health care is very important for a hassle free birth and health of the mother.

A doctor consultation and intervention in this regard is usually beneficial, as one might tend to ignore facts that could be critical. It is important that the mother to be consults a licensed medical practitioner to determine what diet or course of changes would be most beneficial.

The pregnancy diet is a post from: More About Pregnancy

Take a look at the these famous pregnant women, and remember to be proud of your pregnant belly!

Pregnant Belly is a post from: More About Pregnancy

Smoke coming from a cigarette is loaded with chemicals with numbers going as high as more than 2000.  Few of these chemicals such as carbon monoxide, tar, nicotine etc have been long known to interfere with the developing fetus.

One of the common risks of smoking on pregnancy is ectopic pregnancy, that is the embryo fails to be implanted on the uterus and rests on an organ other than that such as the fallopian tube. This is usually the result of heavy smoking especially during the first trimester. It is needless to mention that this kind of pregnancy is fatal for the embryo almost about 100% of the times as the fetus fails to obtain its due protection and nutrition. In addition, this type of pregnancy can even be risky for the mother.

Another common complication of smoking during pregnancy is placental complications such as “placenta previa” in which the placenta is connected with the uterus at a lower position, sometimes as low as at the cervix. Smoking also causes a constant deterioration of fetal growth which presents as developmental abnormalities or mild effects such as low birth weight. These neonates are in additional risk of diseases like mental retardation, cerebral palsy and even death. Additionally, babies born to smoking mothers could suffer from sudden infant death syndrome and the survivors can be victims of asthma, learning disabilities and behavioral problems.

Effects of smoking are so pronounced that they continue to be harmful at a post delivery stage. Babies from mothers who smoke regularly or who smoke while breastfeeding can be equally at risk.

Nicotine, which is the main chemical ingredient of cigarette, can be passed onto the baby from breast milk. Several assays such as urine tests have indicated the presence of nicotine in these babies.

Many researchers believe that mothers, who smoke during the early years of their child, are also putting them at the risk of turning them into smokers themselves at a later stage. This could be a result of addiction or a behavioral result, but it has now been shown to be true very extensively.

So the take home message her is that even if the mothers decide to ignore their own health, all children born in this environment have a right to be born and brought up in a smoking free environment at least in their formative stages of life. The only advise for all moms-to-be is that your baby is not entitled to be forced to suffer from the far and deep seeded dangers associated with cigarette smoking. The least you could do for your child is to quit smoking as long as it takes to keep them safe.

Pregnancy and smoking: A strict no-no is a post from: More About Pregnancy

Here is a set of tips that you should remember in your 2nd phase of pregnancy.

1. Watch your diet and the appetite: since your diet improves over the 2nd trimester, this is the time to watch out your weight. While you are responsible to provide for the growing baby, it is important to eat right and healthy. You have to focus on getting all your nutrients and strictly avoid fast food.

2. Leg cramps can be common and you can deal with them by stretching, straightening and taking a small walk around the house or in a park. For instant relief, you can try to move your toes up at the time of a cramp and hold it in the position for a few seconds.

3. It is good and healthy to indulge in some “low impact” exercises. Being pregnant does in no way mean that you are prohibited from a workout.  Activities like yoga, swimming, walking are excellent for the mother to be. You can also involve your friends and partner and make it a fun activity. However, it is helpful to consult a doctor who could advise you what kind of exercises might be bad for your condition. Since pregnancy is more of a personalized condition, there is no rule of thumb here. Always remember, what is best for you is the only thing that you need to follow

4. You can even go ahead to perform Kegels that would strengthen your pelvic muscles. Hold on in and squeeze in the muscles for a few seconds and then relax to stop and start to urinate. You can perform this couple of times during the day as the more you train these muscles, the easier your labor would be.

5. Take some time out for love making sessions with your husband. These few weeks are the most comfortable time for you to share some more of those intimate moments. It would only make you feel more bonded and loved which is good for your baby.

And most importantly, do not forget- “you are having a baby”! This is the time to rejoice and enjoy.

While you enjoy this 2nd trimester of your pregnancy, slowly you would also begin to feel that little growing thing inside you, getting more active as it slowly starts kicking you from inside. The feeling, cannot be described, and only felt. And until then, wait for the moment, and enjoy your pregnancy

Pregnancy – The 2nd Trimester is a post from: More About Pregnancy

1. Relax and pamper yourself:

It is more than likely that you feel tired, fatigued and worn out very soon in your daily routine. This is the time, you need to give your body lots of rest, sleep and good food. This may also require you to hold back and cancel a few appointments, cut down on those social gatherings, decrease your workload and other responsibilities. It is ideal when you have your partner or family who could share your household work with you and give you some time off to take are of you and your baby. It is also important to not get stressed out or worry too much. You should remember that these would be one of the toughest days and things usually get easier as you reach the 2nd trimester.

2. Don’t hesitate to ask/request or beg your family and dear ones to help you with things that are small but consume time and energy. Prepare an elaborate list of food items and what you would like to eat and ask them to help you prepare those. It is not surprising that during the first trimester you would feel nauseating and wanting to avoid many of the common food items. This gets worse if you are working so having someone take over your evening duties like cooking, cleaning, laundry even a few times in a weak, is very useful.

3. Prepare food in bulk that would last through the week. You would realize that you have flashes of energy bursts, which would last for a very short time. It is wise to utilize those times and stock your refrigerators for those mid night snacks and more importantly the times when you feel, ever so lazy.

4. You would have to try a set of different things to work out what works best for your nausea. What might be great for one is useless for the other. But some common things you could try to help you alleviate your nausea symptoms are early snack up crackers, ginger tea, ginger ale or lemonade. Some might try completely unconventional foodstuff like a grilled cheese sandwich or black licorice. The key is to try different things and help you identify the cure for your morning sickness.

5. Do not look for too many advices. It is foolish to be reading every book on the racks on pregnancy and to be hoping to follow them all. Ask your doctor for one and stick to it. Even if you feel the urge to be consulting a few more sources, don’t get too worked out on every single detail.

And the most important fact to remember is, call your doctor. If in doubt, your physician is the only person who could put those worries to rest.

While you are having a hard time dealing with all these tormenting changes in your body and in your life, don’t forget to fully enjoy your first trimester. You will miss these moments sometime later in your life, so cherish them, take good care and have a great time.

The crucial 1st Trimester is a post from: More About Pregnancy

Sharing news early

The good part about sharing this news early is that there is a lot of support from your family and friends. One can share this joy with everyone. Also while making decisions, you would get a lot of support and advice from people. Decisions like which medical professional to chose amongst seem much easier when you are discussing this openly with your loved ones.
One main disadvantage of breaking this news too soon is that there may be overwhelming advise. Another disadvantage is that you might not get enough alone time. A pregnant woman in the family is always the focus of attention. This may be really good for you, but could get to you sometimes. Also if one has another child, too much talk about the future addition to the family might make him feel bad, its especially important to chose the right time to tell the child.

Announcement decisions

A main decision when you just become pregnant is deciding whom all to tell. Telling your partner would make your family come closer and give you a greater sense of belonging and a special bond with the unborn child. Your parents should be the next to know, as they have already been through this and know a phetora of information and can guide in the right direction.  A new born baby brings a family together and this should be a grand reason to celebrate.
You should always tell all your close friends and loved ones as they will be the backbone of support to you and the child. They will always be there for your ups and downs throughout this wonderful journey.

Right way to tell your family and friends

Obviously choosing the right way matters quite a lot, sending a mass email would probably steal your thunder away. A more creative and memorable way is always better, and lets not forget, everyone loves surprises. There are tons of creative ways to break this news to your partner or your family. You should always do something that you'll remember a lifetime. One of the most popular ways is to send a card with the chosen name (if any) and a sonogram.
If you have another child, telling them this news is also very important. One good way of doing this, especially if you are planning on telling them during holidays is to buy an extra present, and when your they ask who it is from, explain the new addition to your family.

Always remember, this is a journey of a lifetime, enjoy it throughly.

Announcing Your Pregnancy is a post from: More About Pregnancy