Heartbeat

[woody17]

Does anyone know if the baby/foetus can continue growing if the heartbeat has stopped or once the heartbeat stops is that it? Thanks.

If the heart has been seen to be beating, and is no longer beating, then I'm sorry to say that the baby has died :(

Has this happened to you?

Basically scan at epu on Friday showed heartbeat. Scan yesterday on gynae ward showed growth since Friday but they couldn't see heartbeat. They said that scanner is less sensitive than one at epu so this could be why. Baby is still only mm big. I have to go back to epu on wed for another scan. I'm just wondering if a baby would continue to grow if the heart had stopped.

The fact that a heartbeat was seen before is good, and if you are talking about the portable scanners, no they are not as sensitive, especially for such a tiny foetus. I had to wait overnight after one of those scanners showed my DD2's heart had stopped, and she was nearly full-term, so big enough for them to know, but they can't confirm with them.

If the heart has definitely stopped, then unfortunately it is game over. However, they have just said they can't see it, so there may be hope. The foetus itself wouldn't grow, if the heart had stopped, but there are so many variables - if the heart had just stopped, or if it was the gestational sac, not the actual foetus that they were measuring.

Please don't get too despondent. If the baby was bigger, then it would be almost certainly bad news, but those portable scanners are not brilliant, so try to hang-on it there till Wednesday. I know how hard it must be.

(((hugs))) xx

Hi woody I'm sorry but if there is no heartbeat after one has previously been seen then the baby has died. however it also could be that the scanner was less sensitive and measurements can be out when they are looking at a matter of mm s. how many weeks are you?

Only about 6 or 7 weeks. They were happy about the measurements. I know it took a while to find heartbeat on Friday and it was a less sensitive scanner yesterday so hoping the growth is a good sign

I in my very limited experience would imagine its a good sign as well, you are very early it will be hard to see the heartbeat anyway. Xxx

Don't give up hope just yet

When I was around 20 weeks with ds2 routine appt with the miidwife couldn't find a heartbeat -the gp couldn't find one either, they sent me to the hospital to have something strapped to my tummy for half an hour which still didn't find one and finally I had a scan to confirm whether he had in fact died as they thought.

There he was happy as larry with heart ticking away - very very stressful time which they put down to ds2 lying in an awkward way

Wishing you all the very best

Thank you. I'm hoping the fact that baby had grown is a good sign.

6/7 weeks is the borderline for seeing a heartbeat so it is quite possible that they could find it on one scan but not on the next (esp if less sensitive scan equipment). Best of luck on Wednesday, hope they find it then.