Pregnant women visit their obstetricians so the doctor can track the mothers' and baby's health and development. Along with blood tests, urine screens, weight checks and abdominal measurements, the obstetrician listens to the baby's heartbeat. By analyzing the heartbeat, the doctor can determine whether the baby is developing normally or if the mother and her baby need further testing.
Audible Heartbeat
Your obstetrician expects to be able to hear your baby's heartbeat--using a Doppler device--at about 12 weeks gestation, writes Pregnancy and Baby. Some variables affect how soon you and your doctor can hear the baby's heartbeat. These include the amount of fat over the pubic bone and the position of the placenta in your uterus. Expect to wait until week 20 to hear your baby's heartbeat using a traditional stethoscope.
Doppler Scope
The obstetrician uses a special Doppler instrument or a modified stethoscope to listen for your baby's heartbeat, writes the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic says that the Doppler instrument detects motion, then converts it into sound, which allows you to hear the baby's heartbeat.
Normal Heartbeat and Development
Your doctor listens to the baby's heartbeat in order to determine developmental progress. If his examination and the sound of the baby's heartbeat raises any concerns about the baby's well being, he can order additional tests, including an ultrasound. Your doctor can look for and see the baby's heart beating during an ultrasound, which helps him to further determine if your baby is developing normally, according to Pregnancy and Baby.
Diagnostic Clues
Your baby's heartbeat gives clues to your obstetrician that the baby is either developing normally or requires further and closer monitoring, writes Pregnancy and Baby. Any indications your baby is experiencing difficulty mean that your doctor will conduct further testing on you and your baby. MedlinePlus reports that your baby's heart has already begun to develop before the sixth or seventh week of pregnancy and is already beating.
Reasurring to Mothers
You and your doctor need to hear the baby's heartbeat so you know development is normal and on track, according to MayoClinic.com. A mother wants to know that her baby is developing normally, and listening to the baby's heartbeat reassures her and her doctor that everything is progressing normally. The doctor uses not only the baby's heartbeat, but also the growth of your abdomen and uterus to track your baby's growth. In addition, writes the MayoClinic.com, the doctor will ask you about any movements your baby may have started to make.
