The heart tube twists and bends into an S shape, and the bottom of the tube moves up to form the two upper heart chambers (atria). Thank you - these funds will help make a real difference for the babies and mums cared for here at @lancshospitals 🧡🙏 Let your midwife know if you have a disability that means you have special requirements for your antenatal appointments or for labour. your job, your partner's job and what kind of accommodation you live in to see whether your circumstances might affect your pregnancy

Why the greater appetite? Researchers suspect testosterone secreted by male fetuses could be sending their mothers a signal to eat more. And that could explain why baby boys tend to be bigger at birth than baby girls. You’re revolted by formerly favorite foods A Pinnard stethoscope. This is a trumpet shaped stethoscope that is placed on your abdomen (tummy) to allow your midwife or doctor to listen to your baby’s heartbeat. These tests are more accurate than the cell-free blood tests, but also more invasive and carry some miscarriage risk.A foramen ovale. This for-the-womb-only opening between the upper chambers of the heart again shunts blood away from the lungs. Trusted Source American Heart Association Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) See All Sources [3] http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/chorionic-villus-sampling/basics/why-its-done/prc-20013566 What’s your pee color? Having a girl makes your urine darker yellow, while having a boy makes it lighter. The truth? Darker pee is a sign that you might be dehydrated— so drink up!

The truth is, a normal fetal heart rate fluctuates between 120 and 160 beats per minute. If you measure your baby’s heart rate at random intervals, it’s likely you’ll get a different reading each time. Blood tests called cell-free DNA tests have cropped up over the last several years. You can get one as early as around week 9 in your pregnancy. The main goal of these tests is not to determine the sex of your child. Instead, they screen for possible genetic abnormalities. Your child’s sex chromosomes are among all that other genetic information. If continuous monitoring is recommended and you are at the midwife led unit at Hartlepool or at home, you will be transferred to the Consultant-led Unit at the University Hospital of North Tees.

What is the midwife listening to?

One of the best ways of finding out if your baby is having difficulties during labour is to listen to his or her heartbeat regularly. This is known as fetal heart monitoring. Your baby’s heartbeat can be monitored in a number of different ways. How will my baby’s heartbeat be monitored?

http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/pregnancy-64/netmums-52/601208-does-heartrate-myth-work-you-all.html If you cannot keep an appointment, let the clinic or midwife know and rearrange it. Where will I have my antenatal appointments? To perform it, a healthcare professional spreads lubricating gel on the pregnant person’s lower abdomen. They then move a handheld ultrasound scanner device across the abdomen to find the uterus and fetus. Your Midwife or Doctor may recommend continuous monitoring if there were problems related to your current pregnancy or a previous pregnancy, such as: Ghenbot R, Gonzalez-Brown V, Markham K. Management of fetal supraventricular tachycardia: three cases at a single institution. Obstet Gynecol Cases Rev. 2019;6:146. doi:10.23937/2377-9004/1410146Doptone” is a brand name for a handheld Doppler stethoscope. These devices are available online but are not approved for over-the-counter sale. Your midwife will also ask about any other social care support you may have or need, such as support from social workers or family liaison officers. Questions you might be asked You may see (and/or hear) cardiac activity for the first time from week 6 of pregnancy or later if you have an ultrasound at one of your early prenatal appointments, though the timing of when it can be detected can vary a bit. Current research evidence does not support the need for your baby’s heartbeat to be routinely monitored using an electronic fetal heart monitor (CTG) if your pregnancy is assessed as low risk¹. What is intermittent auscultation?