Help! Fetal tachycardia

[pinkypanther]

At my 34 week check yesterday, the midwife found that the baby was tachycardic with a heart rate of 178bpm. I was swiftly packed off to the day unit for monitoring on a CTG which was, apparently "reassuring" (baseline of 140bpm, no decelerations, good variability, and the occasional acceleration up to about 170bpm).

I am a raving nutcase super-paranoid about this pregnancy anyway due to my previous MC and now I'm really fretting about it

I can't find much information about this during pregnancy - does anyone have any experience? I guess I'm desperate for reassurance but equally if it is something to worry about then I'd like to know so I can go back and insist on seeing a doctor...

Ask to be monitored during labour if you're worried. (They'll prob do this anyway.)
If the team looking after you have any concerns they'll do a "slash & grab".(EMCS)

You should be getting fortnightly checks now non?

Sorry I can't really offer any advice or support, but don't be afraid to ask for more than one person to look at CTG readings. It is policy at my local PCT that more than one person interprets traces.

Good luck!

Thanks crankytwanky. Yes, fortnightly checks from now on - I guess I might mention the issue at the next one in two weeks time and see where the baby's heart rate is then.

Hi all of mine have had very fast heartbeats (I was monitored quite a few times). I was told everytime that this is because MY heart was fast. They were all fine btw

I think bradycardia would be more worrying for your team.

Reassuring to hear Fernie's experience was fine!

Good luck!

One of mine had this. Keep an eye on movements and if there is a change, go and get checked. Good luck. One of my others had bradycardia and that was awful - though I didn't really know about it until after he was born.

I had the same happen at my 34 week check. Fetal pulse of up 195bpm over a 20 minute period of checking every 5 mins. Obviously once the midwife had told me that my own pulse when up too. Got sent in for an hour of monitoring and all was fine and normal. At 36 weeks my fundal height was measuring low so I got sent in for more monitoring and a scan and every seems normal.

Got another midwife appointment tomorrow (37wks+2), hoping I can get through it without ending up in hospital this time!!

Good luck Pinky!

Thanks Fernie/Cranky/Fab for the helpful advice/reassurance. I love MN sometimes.

GracieGirl - ha ha exactly. Midwife said "no need to worry, but..." which of course sent my pulse through the roof! Good luck with your appointment tomorrow...hope all is ok. Would be interested to know if your baby's heart rate has settled down.

My baby has an irregular heartbeat (on a doppler it sounds like her heart stops every 3rd beat-ish). I got sent away for heart scans and her heart is spot on, but it beats wrong due to 'ectopic beats' (extra messages sent from the wall of the heart to make the heart do extra beats IYSWIM).

Anyway, they told me not to worry unless baby became tachycardic. When she did, they checked that she had a good range (the beats went from 120-185) when she moved around and they were happy with that.

They have no way of monitoring her heart in labour but they said not to panic because although they can't get a trace, they can hear that there is a beat and that's all that is important.

Soooooooo.... I hope that reassures you. Basically, I'm trying to say we're in a similar boat and the consultant at a top neonatal hospital have told me not to worry.