Early Pregnancy Concerns: Heartbeat and Dehydration - What to Know

Question
I am 25 years old and i have one child age 1 and the date of my last period was December 22nd, 2005. I have been to the ER twice in the past week. I have been severly dehydrated due to nausea and vomiting. just yesterday i was back in and they listened for a heartbeat is it common for it not to be heard at this stage in my pregnancy. They told me it is difficult to hear at this stage

Answer
If your last period started on December 22, you should now be 11 weeks pregnant. After 10 weeks, we hear a fetal hearbeat. A sonogram can see a heartbeat after 6 weeks gestation.If you are losing weight or cannot keep anything down due to vomiting and nausea (hyperemesis gravidarum), you can be hydrated (with IV therapy) and given Zofran to control the nausea. A sonogram should be done to see if the baby is living. I would suggest that you see an obstetrician.