The Claim: Fetal Heart Rate Can Predict the Baby’s Sex

Leif Parsons

The medical literature is rife with all sorts of claims about unusual ways to predict the sex of an unborn baby.

One that has been around for decades, and has even gained some acceptance, is the idea that fetal heartbeat is faster among girls. Rates above 140 beats per minute, it is said, are typical for girls; below that, look for a boy. How this belief came about is not entirely clear, but studies that have looked into it over the years have traced it to folklore.

They have also found that the belief holds little water. Typically, the embryonic heart rate starts out at about 85 beats per minute and then accelerates roughly 3 beats per minute each day during the first month. After the rate reaches an average of about 175 beats per minute, studies show, the acceleration reverses; by the middle of pregnancy, the rate averages 120 to 160 beats per minute.

In a study published in The British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers studied fetal heart-rate variations in 79 women, looking for differences between male and female fetuses. They could not find any.

Curiously, there does seem to be a difference during labor, when the female rate is considerably faster. The reasons are unknown.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies suggest there is little relationship between sex and fetal heart rate.

Would You Pay Out of Pocket for a 4D Ultrasound?

Ultrasounds used to be an exciting part of a woman's prenatal visits, something that occurred once or twice throughout her pregnancy. Today, many moms-to-be are electing to have 3D and 4D ultrasounds that allow them to clearly see and walk away with photos and videos of their unborn child's features.

These 3D and 4D sonograms are often done in luxury suites with plasma video screens, comfortable seating for your family and friends, and piped in lullabies. The biggest issue is that insurance does not cover the cost of these nonessential procedures, which can range from $150 for a basic package to more than $300 for packages that include DVDs, password-protected websites, and more.

11 weeks pg

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

Fetal Sounds

A galloping horse is what your baby's heartbeat will sound like and will be about twice as fast as the mother's heart rate. An average normal fetal heart rate is between 120-180 BPM (Beats Per Minute). Where as an average adult heart rate at rest is between 60-100 BPM.

Maternal Sounds

You may also hear sounds of your own heart or blood flow. A major artery runs through your abdomen and the swish of your blood through it is sometimes picked up by the fetal doppler. This sound is heard by the baby later in pregnancy and has been recorded and used to calm upset babies after birth.

Placental Sounds

The blood flow becomes steadier as it flows through the placenta and has a distinctive sound like wind blowing through the trees.

Instrument Noise

The fetal doppler itself may have some background noise, static, popping etc. When the fetal doppler probe is moved on the abdomen, louder popping noises may result. Sometimes, the movements of your baby in later pregnancy also produce louder noises. Ultrasound gel use is integral on cutting down on much of the static produced when positioning the fetal dopplers transducer during an exam.

found the heartbeat on my doppler!!!!

baby's heartbeat is between 168-170 bpm and my heartbeat is 70 bpm!

Pregnancy Week 10

How Big is the Baby at Ten Weeks Pregnant?
Your baby is getting big... in fact, by pregnancy week 10 your baby is big enough to start being weighed! By pregnancy week 10 your baby will measure between 31 and 42 mm or a little more than an inch and a half! Your baby is about the size of a lime, maybe slightly larger by now.

Your Baby's Growth and Development
By the end of pregnancy 10 weeks your baby will have moved past the embryonic period, and will begin the 'fetal' period. The fetal period is the time when your fetus will grow rapidly. By week ten your baby is less at risk for congenital malformations, which usually occur during the first nine weeks of pregnancy. You should breathe a big sigh of relief by the end of pregnancy week 10 now that this important developmental stage is past!

It is important however that you know that any exposure to toxins even during this time or throughout your pregnancy week by week can be damaging or harmful for your fetus. Your baby's health and well being depend in large part upon your ability to take care to protect them during the duration of your pregnancy.

One of the more common exposures that women may not consider during pregnancy is second hand smoke. Second hand smoke can be harmful particularly during pregnancy. If you find yourself in an environment where people are smoking, remove yourself as quickly as possible. Don't hesitate to address your needs or assert yourself during this all important time. Most people will certainly understand your concerns and will be more than happy to accommodate any requests to avoid exposing your baby to unnecessary toxins.

By the end of pregnancy week 10 your baby's organ systems are growing quickly. Now internal organs are starting to form and the vital organs including the liver, kidney, intestines and brain will start functioning. In the next three weeks alone your baby's length will grow exponentially. Tiny details will start appearing on your baby's body, including items such as toenails. If you were to look really closely you might even notice some peach fuzz growing on your baby's skin! By now your baby will be consumed with swallowing and kicking. That's right, your baby will swallow amniotic fluid during your pregnancy. Consider it a practice run for breathing once she is born!

Spinal nerves are also visible at this point in pregnancy, and your baby's liver is busy making blood cells.

sick of being sick

today i had to sit down in the grocery store. i am sooo exhausted. i am so sick of being nauseous

Morning Sickness May Protect Embryos

By Charles Q. Choi,

livescience.com

Posted: 2008-05-19 15:05:05

Filed Under: Health News, Science News

(May 18) - As irritating as morning sickness may be for pregnant women, it may protect embryos.

Doctors have long known that morning sickness — the nausea and vomiting usually experienced in early pregnancy — is actually a good sign of a healthy pregnancy, despite the discomfort it brings.

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Scientists say morning sickness, an uncomfortable experience for many pregnant women, may actually help a pregnancy succeed.

However, scientists have debated whether morning sickness actually helps pregnancies succeed. It could just be an annoying byproduct of a healthy pregnancy, as pregnant women and their embryos carry out a tug of war over the body's resources.

When and why

To see which explanation might be right, scientists analyzed medical research to see when morning sickness does and does not occur.

If morning sickness was just the byproduct of a healthy pregnancy, then it should accompany all healthy pregnancies. "But it doesn't," said researcher Samuel Flaxman, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Although two-thirds of pregnant women do experience morning sickness, the rest often carry their pregnancies to term.

Tell Us

Also, morning sickness does not seem to occur in other mammals, only humans, the researchers noted. If morning sickness was the byproduct of conflict between mother and embryo or fetus, one might expect other mammals to have it too.

Instead, morning sickness is usually triggered in specific circumstances — in response to:

the sight, smell, or taste of meats and strong-tasting vegetables, which were historically likely to contain foodborne microbes or birth-defect-inducing chemicals; alcohol and cigarette smoke. This all suggests morning sickness serves a useful function, evolving to protect mothers and embryos from things that may be dangerous, the researchers figure.

Also, in women who experience morning sickness, symptoms peak precisely when embryonic organ development is most susceptible to chemical disruption, between week six and week 18 of pregnancy.

The reason that humans alone have morning sickness may be due to our extraordinarily broad diet in comparison to other mammals, including other primates, the scientists conjectured. Instead of evolving a range of molecules to defend against toxins, humans just evolved a way to keep away from dangerous chemicals.

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Implications for pregnancy

A better understanding of morning sickness could have important implications for how doctors handle pregnancy.

"To say that morning sickness is uncomfortable is a real understatement, and a lot of people are looking at ways to deal with it. But if nausea and vomiting truly serve a useful function, then one has to look more carefully at strategies for dealing with these symptoms," Flaxman told LiveScience.

Despite decades of medical research and the widespread nature of morning sickness, little remains known about how it works, as it is of course unethical to experiment on pregnant women, and no other animals are known to experience it.

"We're really interested in a more exhaustive analysis to see if morning sickness really does only occur in human beings, or whether there are other animals out there," Flaxman said.

Flaxman and his colleague Paul Sherman at Cornell University detailed their findings in the July issue of the journal American Naturalist.

10 weeks

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

Kidmazing: Kid Gives Away a Million

If picking up pennies gives you good luck, this child is set for life. Ten–year–old Andrew Niemi of Carleton, MI, collected one million copper coins.

Starting on Dec. 26, 2006, kidmazing Andrew, along with some fundraising helpers, started amassing the one cent pieces. In March, the youngster reached his goal when he hit seven figures. To see how he generously applied his copper mine, read more.

Instead of spoiling himself with a new bike or skateboard, the boy wonder presented a $10,000 check to St. Patrick Catholic School. The Chicago Tribune reports:

His mother said the money would go toward equipment, including audiovisual hardware, two large classroom maps and a concrete bench for the peace garden.

Pretty unusual that a kid would be willing to give up a pretty penny, much less one million. Kudos to Andrew Niemi on paying it forward!