Can I do fetal heart monitoring in the afternoon?

Fetal heart rate monitoring is a very important pre-pregnancy check-up item. While doing fetal heart rate monitoring, pregnant mothers must relax. Only when you do fetal heart monitoring in a good mood can you correctly monitor the child's growth and development to avoid misdiagnosis. While doing fetal heart monitoring, you must pay attention to your daily eating habits and control your diet on the day of the examination. So, can fetal heart monitoring be done in the afternoon?

1. Monitoring time

Generally, self-monitoring is not allowed before 15 weeks of pregnancy. For pregnant women between 15 and 28 weeks of gestation, it is safe to measure three times a day for one minute each time. For pregnant women after 28 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is fully differentiated and the time and frequency of monitoring can be extended. For high-risk pregnant women after 35 weeks of pregnancy (for example, pregnant women with gestational hypertension, hyperthyroidism, etc.), they should be hospitalized and have the fetal heart rate continuously monitored using a fetal heart rate monitor. If necessary, continuous monitoring can be provided for a long time (more than 1 hour).

2. Monitoring methods

The simplest way is to pay attention to the position of the fetal heart rate as the doctor listens to it, and then listen to it again yourself after returning home to determine the position of the fetal heart rate. Since the fetus can move at any time in the abdomen, the position of the fetal heart may also change.

When the fetus is less than 5 months old, the position for listening to the fetal heart is usually below the navel, on both sides of the abdominal midline.

When the fetus is 6 to 8 months old, as the fetus grows, the position of the fetal heart will move up. Since fetal movement usually involves the movement of the fetus's hands and feet, when you feel frequent fetal movements on the right side, the fetal heart rate is generally on the left side; when you feel frequent fetal movements on the left side, the fetal heart rate is generally on the right side. Head and breech presentation can also affect the location of the fetal heart. In the head position, the fetal heart rate is below the navel; in the breech position, the fetal heart rate is above the navel.

In the late pregnancy, the fetal position is basically fixed. Just observe the position of the fetal heart as the doctor listens to it. Since breech presentation can easily cause complications such as premature rupture of membranes, monitoring should be strengthened. Usually, if it is a breech presentation, your doctor will tell you and ask you to monitor it. If you find that you can't hear the fetal heartbeat in the original position, but you can feel the fetal movement, it means that the fetal position has changed. If fetal movement is not obvious, you should seek medical attention immediately for examination.