38 weeks - baby heartbeat lowered than normal 115-122bpm

[Crystal049]

Had my midwife appointment and heartbeat usually around 150bpm but was lower at 122bpm and midwife scared me by her reaction, she didn't send me to hospital to be monitored as she said anything between 110-160 was normal, and that the heartbeat apparently slows down just before birth. Anyone got any experience of this? She's worried me.

If I were you, and felt worried, I would call the assessment unit at your hospital, explain your concerns, and ask to go in for a trace.

Yes I did call, they said to monite baby's movements today and I've felt baby move lots x

It's normal, the further on in your pregnancy the lower the baseline rate becomes. Anything above 100 at term is fine, especially with good variability (which 115-122bpm is). Keep paying attention to baby's movements, that's a really good indicator that all is well.

I would agree with SteadyHand and go in for a trace. They will monitor you for about 30 mins which will give a better idea of baby's baseline heart rate and whether there are any prolonged accelerations of decelerations.