Couple Realizes They’re Expecting A Baby Thanks To ‘Faulty’ FitBit

A New York couple is celebrating after a woman’s FitBit helped her find out she’s pregnant.

If you thought Fitbit’s only purpose was to make you feel bad for how many consecutive hours you watched Netflix yesterday, think again. A New York couple claims the handy little device actually helped them figure out they’ve got a baby on the way.

RELATED: Get Their Butts Off The Couch With The Best Kids Fitbit Watches And Fitness Trackers

The couple hasn’t revealed their identities or last names, since they haven’t had time to break the news to friends and family yet, but a man who goes by David posted on Reddit last week that his wife’s FitBit was behaving strangely. The device was registering her resting heart rate at an abnormally high level — up to 110 beats per minute when the average for adults is somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute. The couple assumed the FitBit was faulty, but David asked the internet just to be sure. He wrote:

“My wife’s 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 offered various fixes and suggestions, but one person decided to think outside the box. They asked, “Has she experienced anything stressful in the past few days or is it a possibility she is pregnant?”

David tells Buzzfeed News he was shocked, and “instantly realized pregnancy was a possible explanation,” as the couple had recently decided to try for a baby. He told his wife, and she took a test. The test came back positive, and David updated his original post to let everyone know they’re expecting a baby in October of this year:

“I just wanted to say this is indeed real, I do not work for fitbit, this is not guerrilla marketing. This is real, the fear is real, the excitement is very real! I am a regular guy who was just looking for the communities help with his wife’s technology issue (we’ve all been there, right?). Little did i know I got alot more than I bargained for! Now I’m a regular guy who is preparing to have his first child brought into the world, god willing, in Oct 2016.”

Dr. Mary Jane Minkin of Yale-New Haven Hospital spoke with Buzzfeed and explained the heart rate increase was probably a result of elevated body temperature. According to the Mayo Clinic, an increase in body temperature is a common symptom of early pregnancy, but most of us wouldn’t think to record our body temperatures unless we were tracking our fertility very carefully.

Either way, it’s fascinating that the FitBit was able to pick up and record subtle changes this mom-to-be didn’t even notice. It’s certainly a unique way to discover the happy news, and so amazing to see the way our bodies communicate with us. Surely the couple will have fun telling their family and friends about this when they’re finally ready for the big reveal.