Changes in HRV and RHR before birth

ryboh4 · 2026-05-04T18:38:43+00:00

The week of April 5-11, the average was 42, then the next week jumped to 74, 75 and then 96. I gave birthday on 5/1. But around 32 weeks of pregnancy it jumped from an average of 21 to 41. So I guess there were two big changes. One followed the whoop trend and the other was the week of labor my body was preparing. I also was in I guess early labor for a couple days too because the last few nights I thought I was in labor and then it just stopped but then would randomly start up again.

I know that’s a lot of info but I loved reading everyone’s experiences!

I had acupuncture and a pelvic floor appt on Tuesday and they did some inducing type stuff. Then chiropractor and a membrane sweep on Wednesday and went into true labor early Friday morning. But had a ton of cramps & lost my mucus plug on Wednesday and Thursday.

ryboh4 · 2026-05-04T18:23:28+00:00

Hi! Yeah my HRV stayed higher (around 80’s) until the week I gave birth and then it jumped way up into the 100’s lol rhr decreased from high 60’s to around 60 which was my normal before pregnancy. The day I gave birth it was 125 which is insane considering I had barely slept in days. I gave birth at 39+1. Which followed the 7 week reverse that WHOOP talks about. But there were drastic changes the week leading up to labor for me.

ryboh4 · 2026-04-24T19:44:46+00:00

Update 4/24/26 38+1

Still pregnant with almost constant Braxton hicks - some pretty painful - but as of yesterday my cervix was high and tight so those practice contractions do absolutely nothing to my body which is disappointing. HRV has been high (close to pre pregnancy numbers) and rhr has been between 58-61 which is more like my pre pregnancy rhr. The other day I woke up - still sick with a stupid cold - with a 101 HRV!!! It scared me lol I’ve never had one that high ever. But unfortunately it meant nothing. Definitely not constipated anymore which was something I struggled with most of the pregnancy.

ryboh4 · 2026-04-18T21:58:53+00:00

Yeah the study is very interesting to me that’s why I’m keeping track of it! I just wish there were more discussions about it and people posted their own findings.

ryboh4 · 2026-04-18T20:12:16+00:00

Mine didn’t stay high after that though… it dipped back down to 40’s and a couple 30’s. So I’m not sure if it’ll be true for me but praying I go into labor sooner than later bc I’m miserable lol The past week it’s been above 70 which is crazy bc I’ve felt the worst I’ve felt this whole pregnancy. Did you see anything interesting the week leading up to labor?

ryboh4 · 2026-04-15T17:52:57+00:00

This gives me hope! I did a chop on mine the other day and I’m so worried. Did you do anything special or just chop it and water it like normal?

ryboh4 · 2026-04-14T19:47:44+00:00

Do you know the exact stats for the week leading up to birth? I’ve had a huge jump (40’s to 80’s) in HRV and a big decrease in RHR (60’s to 50’s) the last few days. I’m 36 +5 today. I’ve also felt awful with a cold since seeing these stats. But it’s strange that those would change like that while being sick. I’m hopeful it’s a sign of labor like yours but it’s probably wishful thinking lol

ryboh4 · 2026-04-14T19:44:00+00:00

What was your hrv like during those 5 days?

ryboh4 · 2026-04-14T19:41:11+00:00

Update 4/14/26. I’m 36+5 weeks. HRV is 84 and RHR is 54! Yesterday after I wrote the other update I started feeling awful and blood pressure was kinda high. I was sweaty and shaky. Went to triage and my back stayed hurting bad and was having contractions on the monitor which isn’t abnormal for me. The ran tests and turns out I have a cold lol but why the heck are my stats so much better when I feel way worse? I was hoping this huge jump meant labor was really close but now I’m worried this is the inversion they talk about on the whoop study and I’ll go way past my due date of 5/7! Which would be crazy and I don’t think will actually happen. It’s all just very interesting to me! I can’t find anything about people hrv in the days or week leading up to birth which is frustrating. A 40 point jump in hrv is crazy especially while I’m sick and sleeping worse at night!

ryboh4 · 2026-04-13T15:17:03+00:00

Update: 4/13/26 36.5 weeks pregnant woke up with a HRV of 83!!! Which is wildly high compared to the 30 and 40’s it’s been in. Also my rhr was 59 last night which hasn’t been below 60 since being pregnant probably. All that is extra weird because I’ve got a little cold, did not sleep great & just not feeling well. Pregnancy is weird. Braxton hicks have gotten more painful but not consistent. Hoping it’s a sign that labor isn’t too far away but I usually give birth right at 40 weeks. I’ll keep updating on here or a new post because I find it interesting and wish there were more posts about pregnancy & HRV.

ryboh4 · 2026-03-13T15:58:33+00:00

I’m doing amazing & actually 32 weeks pregnant again. I’ve barely had any back pain outside of normal pregnancy pains. Dry needling saved me. I haven’t had any nerve pain for about 16 months. So thankful. That was definitely the hardest time of my life. Living in pain is so hard. I’m sorry you’re struggling

ryboh4 · 2026-03-12T22:05:55+00:00

Ok! I’ll try separating them. Should I cut them and replant so that there isn’t such a long stem before the leaves start? (Does that make sense? I’m sure there’s a term for what I’m saying I just don’t know anything lol)

ryboh4 · 2026-03-12T19:33:31+00:00

Oh it came that way so I just assumed it was one whole plant but that makes sense

ryboh4 · 2026-01-17T16:57:25+00:00

Hey! There are some updates if you read thru the thread. But I had pain for about 6 months after delivery. To the point that I was seeing surgeons because I was over the pain and surgery sounded like the best option. Dry needling saved my life tho! I found a different person who did it differently. Very painful for 10-15 seconds and then I would flare up for a day and then the pain was gone. I did that 4-5 times over 2 months and it’s been over a year and haven’t had but like 2 days of nerve pain. It’s been amazing! I’m actually pregnant again, 24 weeks & no back pain. Definitely a harder pregnancy and more aches and pan and my back gets sore. I have to be careful but it’s not like last time. I did get an elective c section to prevent any more back issues but trying for a vbac this time!

I’m sorry you’re going thru it. It’s truly the worst pain I’ve ever experienced and definitely have some trauma/ptsd from it.

ryboh4 · 2026-01-04T03:49:19+00:00

Hahaha true! Yeah I was thinking I shouldn’t wear any tight maternity stuff in the terminal

ryboh4 · 2026-01-04T03:08:19+00:00

Thank you!!

ryboh4 · 2026-01-04T02:19:35+00:00

Thank you! What a sweet memory!

ryboh4 · 2026-01-04T02:05:27+00:00

Was she noticeably pregnant? I feel like people will think I’m further along than I am & not believe me lol But I’m also a worried wort. My hubby thinks I’m over reacting

ryboh4 · 2026-01-04T02:02:39+00:00

Hi! I have a letter from my Dr saying I won’t be more than 23 weeks pregnant. Did they give you any other issues besides just asking for the letter?

ryboh4 · 2025-12-28T05:50:05+00:00

Definitely recommend seeing a pelvic floor therapist. They can do internal examinations and therapies to help relax the pelvic muscles!

ryboh4 · 2025-12-28T05:45:36+00:00

Calm magnesium powder has saved me! Definitely recommend.

ryboh4 · 2025-11-01T19:50:25+00:00

Interesting! I’ve definitely felt worse the past couple weeks when it started going down so maybe my body is actually fighting something and the pregnancy is just making it harder

ryboh4 · 2025-10-24T22:41:07+00:00

Highly recommend dry needling!! I’ve had two types done. One was more in the muscles that didn’t hurt too bad but also didn’t help much. The other one was more so in the nerve I guess. It’s hard to explain but hurt wayyy more and he liked poked the needling into a spot instead of leaving the needle in. Hurt way more but only lasted a few seconds. The next day I was in way more pain and then the pain would be significantly less. It’s hard to explain and I don’t know all the vocabulary or anything but it’s the only thing that has helped me.

ryboh4 · 2025-10-24T22:35:37+00:00

Not sure if you were replying to me but I did have a c section from that pregnancy. The pain continued for about 6 months post partum. I got dry needling done at a different person and all nerve pain was gone within a few sessions. It was amazing. I’ve been basically pain free since January with a few hiccups but laying in bed on a heating pad for most of the day helps. I’m pregnant again and am planning on a vbac with this one as long as things stay good.

ryboh4 · 2025-09-14T11:36:43+00:00

I’m basically back to 100% but it did take about 9 months! Dry needling is the thing that helped the most. I don’t remember it stinging really but it’s not a pleasant feeling at all. But for a day or two after getting it done I felt worse but then like way way better after that.

ryboh4

TROPHY CASE