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June 2016 Moms
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Low Fetal Heart Rate at 12 weeks

MissSaritaFMissSaritaF member
in June 2016 Moms
Greetings ladies! 

So I was in the ER yesterday with dehydration due to the constant throwing up of 90% of everything I eat. They gave me two IV bags and Zofran. The ER doc couldn't get an  ultrasound, but used a Doppler to hear baby's heart beat. He looked at me excited and was like "There it is, that's the baby's heart beat!". But I was like, isn't that too slow? (In my head). He said it's at about 96 heart rate. I googled it and yes, that is too low for 12 weeks, it should be over 120! 

Has anyone else had a slow heart beat but went on to have a healthy baby? Did it increase with time? Granted I was laying down from 9am until 3:30pm receiving the IV and I had only eaten one piece of toast that morning before I went in. Somewhere else I read that if you haven't eaten or if your resting the heart rate can be low. My first prenatal appointment isn't until next Wednesday and I have been spotting almost everyday. I am nervous, so I wanted to reach out see what others experiences have been. Thanks in advance!
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Re: Low Fetal Heart Rate at 12 weeks

  • candicek15candicek15 member
    No experience here, but just wanted to say that I'm hoping for the best outcome for you and baby. Keep us posted!
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  • NLewis1NLewis1 member
    ER Drs are not trained to use dopplers like an OB is. My (not medically trained) guess is he found YOUR heart rate, not baby's.

    I'm just saying I would wait until you see your OB before you start worrying.
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  • cattlebridecattlebride member
    I think he also found your heart rate. Dehydration, vomiting, and stress can cause increased pulse rate. I wouldn't worry though sometimes it's difficult to find babies heart rate on a Dopplar.
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  • cattuccinocattuccino member
    NLewis1 said:
    ER Drs are not trained to use dopplers like an OB is. My (not medically trained) guess is he found YOUR heart rate, not baby's. I'm just saying I would wait until you see your OB before you start worrying.
    I also think he must have found your artery and your heart beat. Or the placenta (if it was swooshingish?)
    That's way too low for a fetal heart rate. 

    And I don't want to say this to worry you, but I definitely recommend doing a follow up somewhere. 

    I Hope you're feeling better. 
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  • fishwife799fishwife799 member
    NLewis1 said:

    ER Drs are not trained to use dopplers like an OB is. My (not medically trained) guess is he found YOUR heart rate, not baby's.

    I'm just saying I would wait until you see your OB before you start worrying.

    Exactly this.


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  • MissSaritaFMissSaritaF member
    Thanks ladies, I hope you are all right! It's so funny because I asked him when I heard it, "That's not MY heart beat?" and he started saying it was baby's. I'm praying all is well for my first appointment on Wednesday!
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  • totsaboundingtotsabounding member
    Fingers crossed for you and baby!

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  • VikingGirl12VikingGirl12 member
    They always pick up my HB when i get checked so someone who isn't trained well could def mistake it. I agree with others, it was more likely yours. Keep us informed! Praying!
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  • goldie987goldie987 member
    If there's one thing I've learned on this site, it is that the years of OB specialization really make a difference. ER doctors seem to be incompetent when it comes to early pregnancy, more than one person has been on here with a "threatened miscarriage" dx from an ER doctor just to get a totally clean bill of health from their OB. I would still follow up with your OB but I would do my best to not stress until then.
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  • missbianca84missbianca84 member
    I had my 8 week US with 150 hr, then at 12 weeks my OB couldnt find it on dopplar. She did another US and it was 168 hr! She said not everyone can hear it on dopplar-depends on uterus position. Try to keep calm until you see your OB this week!
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  • june2016babyjune2016baby member
    I agree that he probably found YOUR heart rate!

    My husband has occasionally filled in as an ER doctor due to shortages in the past, and he has complained about how bad ER docs are. He claims that the "good" doctors usually don't end up working in the ER. (And if any of you ladies are ER docs, or married to one, or are BFs with one, please don't take offense! I know this isn't true across the board for everyone in the profession.)
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  • LizM61409LizM61409 member
    june2016baby said:

    I agree that he probably found YOUR heart rate!

    My husband has occasionally filled in as an ER doctor due to shortages in the past, and he has complained about how bad ER docs are. He claims that the "good" doctors usually don't end up working in the ER. (And if any of you ladies are ER docs, or married to one, or are BFs with one, please don't take offense! I know this isn't true across the board for everyone in the profession.)

    I disagree. ER docs are VERY well trained to deal with emergencies. It's right in the name. Heart attacks, cardiac arrest, septic shock, stroke, pneumonia, etc etc. Finding a fetal heart beat with a doppler isn't an emergency (they can always do or order an ultrasound if truly needed) and they only do it once in a blue moon so it's not something they're experienced with.

    Also, the average board scores of med students going into ER is a higher than a lot of other specialties so don't knock them too much
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