7 Things to Remember If You Can’t Hear Baby’s Heartbeat

One of the most frightening things that you can hear your doctor say is that they cannot find your baby’s heartbeat. You may immediately assume the worst, but there are many reasons that your doctor may not be able to hear your baby’s perfectly normal heartbeat. Not being able to detect a heartbeat does not mean that something is wrong with your baby. Here are several perfectly normal reasons that you may not be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat.

1. You may not be as far along in your pregnancy as you thought.

Your baby’s heartbeat might be detectable as early as five weeks. Most doctors won’t order your first ultrasound until around 7 to 8 weeks, but you and your doctor may be wrong about how far along you are. It is not uncommon for a gestational heartbeat to difficult to detect before the seven-week mark. Sometimes it takes as long as the 12-week mark to hear the baby’s heartbeat during a normal ultrasound. If the ultrasound tech cannot detect a heartbeat at your first appointment, your doctor will probably schedule you for a second ultrasound for 1 to 2 weeks later.

2. You might have a retroverted uterus.

A retroverted uterus will make it difficult to hear the baby’s heartbeat. A retroverted uterus (also called a tipped uterus) is one that points upward instead of towards the cervix. If you have endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disorder (PID), you are more likely to have a tipped uterus than someone that does not. Having a tipped uterus is not usually a problem regarding the viability of your pregnancy. Usually, by week 12, the uterus will straighten out by itself. If the uterus doesn’t correct itself, then a minor surgical procedure can correct this and reduce or eliminate any risk to your baby. If your doctor determines that you do have a tipped uterus, they might have to order transvaginal ultrasounds for your first trimester to monitor your pregnancy.

3. Your baby is too far away.

Your baby is very small during the first few weeks. It may be difficult for the ultrasound tech to hear the heartbeat because your baby is too far away from the device. The ultrasound device only has a limited ability to detect sound. While this is frustrating for everyone, it is not something to be concerned about. Likely, your baby is just positioned higher than is typical. The ultrasound tech can only do so much to try and make your baby cooperate.

4. You are overweight or have a larger abdomen.

A thicker abdomen can make it difficult to detect the heartbeat. This is especially true when you are earlier in the pregnancy before the baby’s heartbeat is stronger and easier to hear. Because the device has to be within a certain range to hear the heartbeat, the more weight you are carrying around your belly, the less likely that you will be able to hear the heartbeat. It may be several weeks later than is typical before you can hear your baby’s heartbeat if this is the case.

5. There is too much background noise.

Any noise can mask the sound of the heartbeat. It is difficult to detect the heartbeat even with a doppler early in the pregnancy. If there is any source of outside noise, then it can make it impossible. This can include anything from your baby being restless and moving to the sound of you clearing your throat. While ultrasound rooms are usually insulated against outside sounds, enough noise could penetrate to interfere. Any ambient noise, even the white noise that you might normally not notice, can interfere with the reading.

6. You’re using an at-home fetal heartbeat monitor.

You shouldn’t use an at-home fetal heartbeat monitor to measure the well-being of your baby. At-home fetal heartbeat monitors can be a fun toy for expectant parents to use, but you should never try to use them to try and determine the well-being of your baby. These monitors can be very unreliable and even potentially dangerous. The monitor is likely to provide inaccurate information that can be unnecessarily stressful for you. The FDA has advised that ultrasound machines are restricted, prescription-only devices that should not be operated by anyone but a trained professional. The FDA has said that professional ultrasound machines are safe, but have said that at-home devices can be poorly made and produce ultrasound waves that have been linked to tissue damage in some studies.

7. When should you be concerned?

Your doctor will let you know when to be concerned. If your doctor thinks that there might be some problem with your baby, they will order additional tests to confirm this. You should never hesitate to talk to your doctor if you are concerned. Unless you are showing signs of a miscarriage, you shouldn’t be concerned if you cannot hear your baby’s heartbeat, especially before 25 weeks.

Conclusion

It is not uncommon for an ultrasound tech to not be able to pick up the sound of your baby’s heartbeat even as late as 25 weeks. While every parent hopes that they might be able to hear it sooner, there are many reasons that you might not. If you do choose to use an at-home fetal heartbeat monitor, then you should not use it to attempt to determine the health of your baby as they are unreliable at best. If your doctor is not concerned that they cannot detect a heartbeat, then there is likely no reason for you to be concerned either. As always, if you are concerned or have questions, you should contact your doctor.