It began as a harmless question posted on Reddit and ended as a surprising, life-changing news.
With the aid of the Internet, one Reddit user called YoungPTone found out that his wife is pregnant after noticing some odd vital signs on the woman's Fitbit fitness tracker.
YoungPTone, whose real name was David, said his wife Ivonne's FitBit was showing consistently high heartbeat for the past few days before he posted the inquiry.
David told Buzzfeed that he had thought the Fitbit was defective as his wife said her resting heart rate sometimes showed up to 110 beats per minute. The normal heart rate for adults often range from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
David said Ivonne's Fitbit showed her vital signs in the fat burning zone for 10 hours. He believed this was impossible especially because of his wife's activity level.
Additionally, his wife's calorie burns were accurate. David said if the Fitbit was correct, Ivonne would be burning a lot of calories, but it didn't quite match up. He asked users whether there was a way to recalibrate or reset the device.
Another Reddit user suggested that David's wife might have experienced something stressful or she might be pregnant.
David considered the possibility, saying he didn't know pregnancy could affect the Fitbit's heart rate signs.
"I might be a dad," he said. "Now I gotta watch my own heart rate."
David told his wife about it and she took a pregnancy test.
The day after the post, David happily announced that he was going to be a father. Ivonne is one month pregnant.
An expert from Yale-New Haven Hospital said that heart rates can increase significantly during pregnancy but it doesn't typically happen until much later.
"My hunch, if I had to bet why her [heart rate] was up, it was that her temperature was up," said Dr. Mary Jane Minkin.
A woman's temperature usually increases in early pregnancy, causing her heart rate to slightly go up. Minkin said it made sense that Ivonne only noticed her increased heart rate because people didn't typically take note of changes in temperature.
It also appears that fitness trackers have another real benefit for pregnant women as it encourages them to stay active and get exercise, Minkin said.
Meanwhile, David said he and Ivonne were extremely excited to welcome their new addition.
"It's definitely a great story to tell [the baby] one day about how it happened, and [we are] happy to have all the support of people on Reddit," added David.
Photo: Jeff Golden | Flickr
