How to measure fundal height and fetal heart rate
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
From about 24 weeks, the fundal height in centimeters is close to the number of weeks of pregnancy. The fetal heart rate is checked at every visit.
What you need
- Measuring tape
- Doppler and gel
Step by step
Prepare
Clean your hands, introduce yourself, get consent and ask the patient to empty the bladder. [1]
Position
Lying with the head slightly up and a small tilt to the left, not flat, to avoid dizziness. [1]
Find the top of the uterus
Walk the side of your hand down from below the ribs until you feel the top. [1]
Measure
From the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus, tape numbers facing down so you are not biased. Record in centimeters. [1]
Find the baby's back
Leopold maneuvers: the back is the smooth, firm side. [1]
Fetal heart rate
Gel and Doppler over the baby's back. Count for a full minute while feeling the mother's pulse to tell them apart. [1]
Record and report
Normal fetal heart rate is 110 to 160 per minute. A fundal height more than 2 cm off the weeks needs follow-up. [1]
Common errors
- Counting the mother's pulse as the fetal heart rate.
- Measuring with a full bladder.
- Patient lying flat for long.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
Steps adapted from OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.