A couple from NYC says they found out an important piece of data from a Fitbit: They are expecting their first child.
David told BuzzFeed News that he and his wife, Ivonne, started trying to have a baby a few months ago.
"I knew it was a possibility at any point," David said of his wife's pregnancy.
He asked that BuzzFeed News not use their last names as the couple is only about a month into the pregnancy and they haven't told many of their friends and family.
The dad-to-be said he also had another plan for the new year: getting in shape. So he received a Fitbit for Christmas with the hopes it would inspire him to become more active.
David said after he got the Fitbit, he discovered a Reddit forum where other users discussed their experiences with the product.
He started posting more frequently because he said everyone in the forum was very knowledgeable and nice.
"People were really cool [in there]," David said.
Soon after David got his Fitbit, he said, his wife asked for one too, so he bought her one.
But pretty soon, Ivonne told her husband something strange.
The device was recording her resting heart rate at a high range, sometimes up to 110 beats a minute. A normal resting heart rate for an adult is about 60 to 100 beats a minute, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Ivonne assumed the device was faulty, so she asked her husband to take a look at it.
"I thought was something was defective in the machine," David said.
He decided to post about the problem on the Reddit forum, thinking they may have some insight as to whether he should take it back to the store.
He wrote:
My wifes fitbit is showing her heartbeat being consistently high over the last few days. 2 days ago, a somewhat normal day, she logged 10 hours in the fat burning zone, which i would think to be impossible based on her activity level. Also her calories burned do seem accurate. I would imagine if she was in the the fat burning zone she would burn a ton of calories, so its not lining up.
Im not sure if something is wrong with the sensor. is there a way to reset or recalibrate the device? Id like to try that before I contact customer service about a possible replacement.
People chimed in with various responses. But one person had a pretty insightful point...
The person asked if it was possible Ivonne was pregnant, which could be the reason for an elevated heart rate.
David said he was shocked, and he instantly realized that pregnancy was a possible explanation.
"I never even knew that was a legitimate symptom," he said.
After David told his wife what he had read, she took a test, which came back positive. She is now about a month along in her pregnancy.
"We were both obviously very surprised, very happy," he said.
Dr. Mary Jane Minkin of Yale-New Haven Hospital told BuzzFeed News that while it's true heart rates can jump significantly during pregnancy, a large jump usually doesn't occur until much later.
But Minkin said she thinks what Ivonne saw was actually an effect of another early pregnancy symptom: increased body temperature.
When a woman's temperature increases in early pregnancy, it could also slightly elevate her heart rate, Minkin said.
"My hunch, if I had to bet why her [heart rate] was up, it was that her temperature was up," Minkin said.
It would make sense that Ivonne only noticed the heart rate increase, since most people don't frequently take their temperature, Minkin added.
David said the couple are extremely excited to welcome their new addition, and they have loved the positive messages they have received on Reddit since sharing their story.
"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," David said.
Minkin added that she thinks fitness trackers can have another real benefit for pregnant women, as she encourages her patients to stay active throughout their pregnancies.
"If the Fitbit encourages them to get exercise, anything that gets them moving is a good thing," she said.