What is an irregular fetal heart beat?
Sometimes when your midwife listens to your baby’s heartbeat, they may hear an irregular beat or rhythm. This is often caused by extra beats. These beats are called ectopic beats, which are not important to the health of your baby and are caused by the heart not being fully developed yet.
Why does my baby have this?
A small area of your baby’s heart sends out electrical impulses. These impulses spread through their heart muscle and cause it to contract in a regular rhythm.
However, sometimes another area of their heart sends out an extra electrical impulse, which will cause an extra heartbeat. Their heart then rests while the heart muscle gets back to a normal rhythm. This can make your baby’s heart sound irregular.
An irregular heartbeat does not mean that there are any abnormalities in the way your baby’s heart is formed. We would expect it to settle as your pregnancy progresses, but it occasionally stays this way until after their birth.
What will happen during my pregnancy?
Your midwife will listen to your baby’s heart rate when you attend for your antenatal appointments. It is very rare, but occasionally your baby’s heartbeat may develop a continuous fast rhythm. If your midwife picks up an irregular heartbeat in your baby, they will refer you for further monitoring at the hospital.
You will also be offered blood test, an ultrasound scan for your baby or sometimes refer you to a more specialist centre. You will stay under consultant led care for your pregnancy. You may still be advised to consider having a vaginal delivery. Depending on your baby’s condition, your consultant will make a personalised care plan together with you for you and your baby.
An irregular heartbeat could be due to a high intake of caffeine. We would advise you to cut down on how much tea, coffee, and caffeinated soft drinks you drink. The caffeine in these drinks can stimulate the electrical activity of your baby’s heart. We also advise you to reduce your intake of chocolate, which also contains caffeine, to avoid any stress that you can, and stop smoking. Please ask to speak to our Stop Smoking in Pregnancy Team if you need any help to stop smoking, or speak to a midwife if you would like to discuss any stress that you are feeling. Currently, there is no data available that vaping can lead to irregular heartbeat in baby however it is possible that it may from the limited information available.
What will happen when baby is born?
This is usually a condition that has no significance for your baby in their future life. The paediatrician will listen to your baby’s heartbeat before you are discharged (go home) from hospital and perform further tests if needed.
Contact us
If you have any further questions, please ask these at your next appointment with your consultant or contact Greenoaks by calling 01709 424513