Auscultation of the fetal heart

Auscultation of the fetal heart may confirm that the fetus is alive at that moment in time, but it is of limited value with regards to predictive outcome, therefore NICE guidelines (2008) recommend that routine "listening in" of the fetal heart should not be undertaken as part of the antenatal check. However many women request to hear the baby’s heart beat for reassurance and for partners/ companions to hear and her request should be granted.