International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Scientists have discovered that the heartbeat of the mother and her unborn baby synchronise when she breathes.

The researchers, from the University of Aberdeen, in Scotland, UK, said the connection could pave the way for new techniques to be implemented which detect development problems during gestation.

If there is no synchronisation or rhythmic connection between the heartbeat of the foetus and its mother, it seems to signal something is wrong with the way the baby is developing, the scientists found.

"Pregnant mothers often report an awareness of a bond with their child," said Dr Marco Thiel, one of a team of physicists from the university who worked on the study.

"Our findings reveal that synchronisation between the heartbeat of a mother and foetus does actually occur - but only when the mother is breathing in a rhythmical fashion."

He said the foetus can detect when there is a rhythmic change in the mother's heartbeat and it changes "its own heartbeat accordingly".

Recently, a study published in the British Medical Journal found there was an increased risk of neonatal death in babies delivered outside the normal working week.

Posted by David Smith