A New York husband was stumped as why his wife's Fitbit was acting funny.
David Trinidad noticed that the month old fitness tracker his wife, Ivonne Trinidad, was wearing was registering an elevated heart rate. After seeing high rate readings, David, 34-year-old sales manager at a staffing agency, turned to the social aggregating site Reddit for answers on Friday.
"My wife's Fitbit is showing her heartbeat being consistently high over the last few days... I'm not sure if something is wrong with the sensor," he posted.
For 32-year-old Ivonne, her average heart rate measured in the mid 70s, but for several days that number began rising.
The fitness tracker has a sensor on the back of the wristband that continuously monitors the user's heart rate. The product also monitors steps taken, calories burns and other health-related data. The data is transferred to a smartphone or website where the user can keep an eye on any changes or progress.
"Honestly, I was hoping for a solution so I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of replacing the defective device," David told CNN. "A part of me also wanted to save the day, as husbands love to do."
There were dozens of people who provided great advice, but one took them by surprise. One user posted in the comments: "Has she experienced anything really stressful in the last few days or is it a possibility she is pregnant?"
The Trinidads had recently started trying to have a baby, so this suggestion was a possibility.
"I was definitely very scared and very excited and felt a rush of all those emotions at once," David said when he realized he could soon be a father.
The couple picked up 10 pregnancy tests that night. They all came back positive. With this being their first time expecting, David Trinidad said that there are a few symptoms of pregnancy he and his wife hadn't learned about. Heart rate can is one of several indicators that can give doctors a clue if they think their patient is expecting a child.
"The woman's heart has to work harder to supply blood to the uterus, so the heart rate can go up," said Jennifer Shu, pediatrician and co-author of "Heading Home with your Newborn."
Your resting heart rate is the heart pumping the lowest amount of blood you need when you are not exercising. This can range between 60-100 beats a minute, according to the American Heart Association.
After visiting their doctor on Tuesday, the couple found out they are about five weeks along and also got a peek of their baby through a preliminary sonogram.
Both baby and mom received a clean bill of health.
The soon-to-be dad let the Reddit community know they are expecting a baby and joked he will have to start watching his own heart rate.
CNN reached out to Fitbit, and company representatives were happy to hear about this story. The company did not provide a statement in regards to this specific incident. Fitbitis aware of several customer stories about how the fitness tracker has detected other issues, but those claims have not been independently verified by Fitbit, according to a representative.
