Pregnancy is such an exciting journey. Every week, your baby is growing and changing, hitting new milestones that can fill you with wonder. By just six weeks, your baby already has the beginnings of a mouth, ears, and nose. At seven weeks, little leg and arm nubs start to form. By the end of the first trimester, around 13 weeks, your baby will be about the size of a pea pod with tiny fingerprints and all the major organs in place.
Early Heart and Circulatory Development
One of the most amazing early developments is your baby’s heart. Even though other organs are developing at the same time, the heart is the first to start working. According to Oregon State University, the heart begins as a simple tube just three weeks after fertilization. This tube then grows and folds to form the chambers and parts of the heart we know.
By 22 days, the heart is already moving blood through its tiny structures, circulating it through the embryo. But when can you actually hear that heartbeat for the first time? Let’s find out.
Your First Ultrasound Appointment
Even though your baby’s heart starts pumping blood at three weeks, you won’t be able to hear it right away. According to Healthline, you might be able to hear the heartbeat as early as halfway through the fifth week of pregnancy if a transvaginal ultrasound is used. However, most doctors schedule the first ultrasound around the middle of the sixth week. Some may even wait until the 11th week, depending on your situation and pregnancy history.
If you do have a six-week ultrasound, the American Pregnancy Association says you can hear a heartbeat that beats between 90 and 110 times per minute. For comparison, an adult’s heart beats between 60 and 100 times per minute. By the ninth week, your baby’s heart will be beating even faster, between 140 and 170 times per minute.
As your pregnancy progresses, different tools will be used to hear your baby’s heartbeat, including a fetal Doppler, a stethoscope, a fetoscope, and an abdominal ultrasound. Healthline explains that each of these tools has its own timing and methods to ensure you can hear your baby’s heartbeat as they grow.
Hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the first time is a magical moment, one that makes the journey of pregnancy even more real and exciting.
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