Would there have been a heartbeat or not?

Replies

• mummaJ

  Apr 17, 2009 3:50PM

  Am so sorry about your loss
  In answer to your Q, although i'm not sure what you'd prefer the answer to be, a baby at 8wks gestation would have a heart beat. If i'm correct i think they can detect fetal heart from 7wks ish. So as your baby managed to get to 8wks 3days it would have had a heartbeat before it died.
  It's so heart breaking isn't it, I had a MMC at 9wks so i understand a little of how you're feeling. I hope you and yur OH are doing OK?
  Lots of love and hugs xXx

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• pink_supergirl

  Apr 17, 2009 3:55PM

  thanks mummaJ. To be honest I thought that was the case but that was really only my opinion so wanted to see if anyone else knew better. I think I would have preferred it the other way but either way it was still a very sad loss.
  The good news is that i am extremely lucky to have got another BFP a few days ago. I'm over the moon but extremely nervous so that was another reason why I asked about the heartbeat because I'm wondering whether if we have an early scan to see the heartbeat it would put my mind at rest but I don't think it will as if we'd had a scan at 8 weeks last time everything would have seemed fine but obviously it wasn't.
  I'm so sorry that you had a mmc too. Its awful isn't it. We didn't really start trying again but didn't really try 'not to' if you know what I mean so we were suprised and I know we are so lucky to conceive so quickly again but I just hope this ones a sticky one.
  I hope you are and your OH are ok.
  xx

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• mummaJ

  Apr 17, 2009 4:02PM

  BIG CONGRATS on your new BFP-you must be over the moon but very anxious, as any of us would be.
  There is no reason why things shouldn't be OK this time and your right, unfortunately things can go wrong at any stage, so having a scan may not quell your fears. A stupid thing to say but try not to worry. Fingers (and everything else!) crossed for a sticky one this time.
  Keep us posted xXx

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• mithical

  Apr 18, 2009 9:26AM

  Hope it's a sticky bean this time, good luck. xx

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• gemmiebaby

  Apr 19, 2009 7:34AM

  I also wondered this. I had a natural mc at 5 + 5 so I know my baby wont have had a heart beat but I got pg again straight away with twins and am now 12 + 2. I have my scan tomorrow. I saw heartbeats at 10 + 3, and 2 very active babies. I am still petrified about tomorrow and something having gone wrong. The reason I wondered about the heartbeat thing is - the heartbeat can be detected at 6 weeks (ish) yes? But that is in a healthy pregnancy. If the foetus stops growing at 8 + 3, could that be because there was an abnormality with the heart and the foetus couldnt keep growing because it didnt have a heartbeat? I dont know, and didnt really want to ask because I worried its just wishful thinking, but after seeing your post, I did wonder if this was the case. There must be a reason why babies dont grow and maybe an abnormal heartbeat, or lack of heartbeat, is one of those but, unless you have a scan and then mc, you wont know that. Sorry if this doesnt make sense. I have written this 3 times!!!
  
  Good Luck and hope you have a sticky bean now! xxx

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• snappyloz

  Apr 19, 2009 7:48AM

  Hiya, congrats on your BFP. Its true that things can go wrong at any time but your baby at 8wks will have had a heartbeat but it may not have been a strong one. The miscarriage association say that if there is a strong heartbeat at 8wks then you are 98% likely to carry the baby to term and every week that goes past your chances increase. I had early scans with both my daughter and my current pregnancy as before that I'd had 3 miscarriages and they really helped to put me at ease. I also bought a doppler and could hear the heartbeat from 10wks and that helped me as well. its upto you what you decide to do but try to look on the positive side . Good luck hunnyxxxx

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• pink_supergirl

  Apr 19, 2009 3:54PM

  Thanks for your replies everyone. It really does help to know that people understand, even though of course I'd rather none of us had to experience this.
  Gemmiebaby - your post makes sense. You could be right that the foetus couldn't keep growing because either it didn't have a heartbeat or had something wrong with the heartbeat. Good luck with your scan tomorrow. I hope everything goes well.
  Snappyloz - I'm thinking about booking a scan for about 8 weeks and also wondered about buying a doppler. Is the doppler easy to use and easy to find the heartbeat? Even if you aren't showing so don't really know the position of the baby that well?
  xx

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• snappyloz

  Apr 19, 2009 5:51PM

  Yeah they are but the first few times you have to do a bit of searching. I found in the early weeks the best place to find it is really low down on the pubic bone ( actually in the hairy bit TMI I know lol) and drink a couple of pints of water. The first time I rented one with a digital monitor that tells you the heart rate so you can tell if its yours or bubba's. I bought an Angel Sounds one after that which you can pick up really cheap but they a bit harder to use and don't have a monitor but they do pick up the heartbeat from10wks. It sounds like a horse galloping. I'd have a toot on Ebay and see what you can pick up.
  Keep me posted and think positive thoughts
  Jenxx

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• pink_supergirl

  Apr 20, 2009 2:55PM

  ok, great, thats helpful thanks. I've booked an early scan today. I found somewhere local that do them from 6 weeks but I decided to wait until I'm nearly 8 weeks in the hope that it will be a bit clearer and i'm sure it will give me some reassurance. I do feel quite positive today and I seem to have days like this and then I'll have a bad-ish day where I'll just be so worried. I've got some things planned for this week (mainly tv watching so I can relax!) so the time goes quickly!
  xx

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• libranaster

  Apr 21, 2009 1:54AM

  I think a baby actually has a heart beat from about 5 weeks but it is just not detectable till 6 weeks or further. Congrats on the BFP and I do hope that its a sticky one this time.

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