Baby's Heart Beat
Your baby's heart will begin to beat in the first trimester. Typically this cannot be heard with even a Doppler until the 9-10th week of pregnancy at the earliest, sometimes not until the 12-14th weeks of pregnancy. A baby's heart beat, often called fetal heart tones (FHT), is very rapid, much faster than an adult's. In fact it starts out near 180 beats per minute (BPM) and around 12 weeks gestation settles into the normal range of 120-160 BPM for the remainder of the pregnancy.

- Click the audio file to hear a baby's heart beat at 10 weeks 2 days. It's beating at about 160 beats per minute (BPM).
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