Home Doppler

[NewMum26]

I'm thinking about buying a home Doppler so me and hubby can hear he baby's heartbeat in between scans. Anyone used one and know if they are easy to use? Just worried I will not find the heartbeat due to not knowing what I'm doing with the Doppler and it will cause me more worry! x

[chloechloe]

Don't do it! Precisely because you're not trained to use it. It could end up causing more anxiety because you can't find the heartbeat or because it sounds irregular etc etc.

[Flingmoo]

Yes I think it's a bad idea. More anxiety if you can't find the heart beat. And I'm sure I read something about them not even being 100% proven safe for repeated use. You will also hear the heartbeat at midwife appointments after a certain point, not just at scans, not only that but after about 16-20 week point you'll start to feel kicks which is obviously a great sign of life

[scaevola]

It's a really bad idea. They are unreliable, and even if working you won't have the training to know what it normal variation and what is worrying.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

Yes this is a scary thought BUT, I do know someone who had one and genuinely believed she was listening to the heartbeat - unfortunately she wasn't and her baby hadn't survived. She still believes to this day that if she had relied more on what her body was telling her and less on the Doppler the outcome would have been very different. Whether it would have been or not we'll never know. Very, very sad.

I know some midwives advise against it for similar reasons.

[Flingmoo]

Check this advice out

[Kittenrush]

In total agreement with everyone here, just don't. I work in an emergency department and even there amongst the tonnes of trained staff we have, there are only about 3 senior nurses who know how to use them. You must trust your midwife and your body. Both know what they are doing! Xx

[Chaseley]

Il be the ONLY person to say BUY one!
I got one, it's great I get in perfectly with it.
I don't use it for medical purposes simply just for me!
Yes it can cause more worry should you not find the HB however, not knowing until each scan that your baby is indeed okay, is just as much worry! Watch YouTube videos & research everything first.
I can't rely on my midwife as she wouldn't even attempt to listen as she said she struggles pre 23 Weeks (and she's a midwife!) the only reason I've heard it professionally is because I paid for a private sex scan & it confirmed what I've been hearing on mine is the same thing.
I've also done research on whether Doppler are safe & they are, otherwise the NHS wouldn't have them! So don't listen to too much negatives.
Of course! Any worries and get checked out! Xx

[Kittenrush]

If even your midwife struggles before 23 weeks doesn't that tell you something 😂 Xxx

[INeedNewShoes]

On safety, there is surely a difference between a foetus being exposed to the doppler waves occasionally at midwife appointments vs on a daily or even weekly basis if the mum-to-be owns a doppler machine.

I understand the anxiety. I had my 12-week scan last week and I'm already convinced that things have gone wrong. I'd love to reassure myself that everything's ok, but on balance I think I'm better off waiting until my 16-week appointment with the midwife and hoping that she will listen for the heartbeat then.

[SquedgieBeckenheim]

I bought one to use in first pregnancy so DH could hear the heartbeat before he went away for the rest of the pregnancy. We used it that once, heard the heartbeat. We've not used it at all this time as no need to.
They can be good so people who aren't at the appointments can hear the heartbeat, but so dangerous when used as a reassurance tool. You can so easily pick up your own heartbeat instead of babies. I'm sure if you asked your midwife she'd say the same.

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

They're safe in terms of not causing any harm. They're not safe in untrained hands in terms of interpreting the results reliably. Decisions made on that basis may well be bad decisions.

[OneBiscuitAtATime]

Kicks Count recommend that you don't - they are dedicated to reducing still birth rates. Their reasons are here www.kickscount.org.uk/mums/your-babys-movements/why-shouldnt-i-use-a-home-doppler/

[Chaseley]

I get that, I wouldn't ever rely on a Doppler to tell me my baby is okay should I have reduced movements. But what about before I've felt him kick?? I'm 17 weeks, I haven't felt anything yet so using a Doppler isn't an issue

[Kittenrush]

Good for you newshoes, we rely so heavily on technology to tell us everything is okay that we've become totally paranoid! Babies got by just fine before scans and Dopplers :)

[raviolidreaming]

They can be good so people who aren't at the appointments can hear the heartbeat

My midwife let me record her finding the heartbeat on my phone as DH couldn't make the appointment, which meant I could email it to my mum too

Don't buy a home doppler - the risks far outweigh the advantages, as already mentioned.

[NeverAShadowOfDoubt]

I have one and admit it has caused several meltdowns during earlier weeks. Having said that, I got to know exactly where baby was after scans and can find and distinguish difference between my HB, babies and the placenta. Before my 12 week scan I couldn't understand why the heartbeat was in a different place each time I listened. Then came the scan and the news that there was 2 babies in there! I'm 26 weeks now and can find each of the heartbeats straight away but once I started to feel movements I hardly use it. My midwife didn't even try until 24 weeks and even then I had to show her where they were. Although it does give you reassurance, the panic it causes when you can't isnt worth it. If you have concerns get checked professionally.

[Chaseley]

I feel a lot of people on here are missing the point.
Pre feeling movement, how would a woman know if there are any issues with the baby besides the obvious? Pain or bleeding?
Fact is, worrying is a mental thing, not physical so! Before you feel anything and between scans, you'll naturally worry something is wrong with the baby without actually having any signs. A Doppler can of course heighten the worry but can also help....it is a 50/50.

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

But chaseley what would you do if you couldn't find a HB at say 18 weeks? Get stressed? Ring the midwife? Panic? And what could medics do?

[TribbleTrouble]

I wouldn't advise anyone on buying one, how do you know what you're listening to? Fetal heartrates pre twenty odd weeks are hard to find as a matter of course. That's not discounting finding it through the cacophony of sounds that are within your uterus, that includes your placenta, cord sounds, your heart rate and then trying to find babies heart. Then even because you've found it doesn't mean baby is well, midwives interpretate the heart sounds. Personally, I'd rely on babies movements rather than a doppler. Movements are the thing that changes when baby is struggling for whatever reason.

[Chaseley]

Okay, lets say I don't use one at all pre feeling movement.....I'm going to ring the midwife every week to ask her to check the heartbeat because I'm overly anxious my baby is actually okay.

[Kittenrush]

It's all just opinion at the end of the day chaseley :) and if yours has reassured you that's good :) I just think we've let technology take over a bit! I think we can become too obsessive. As I said babies managed quite well without them for hundreds of years :) however some people are worriers and as you say it's 50/50! Sometimes it's going to reassure you, in other cases it's not. I just think you wouldn't use something like an ultrasound or any other bit of equipment without training, the average person just doesn't know what they are listening for! I guess OP it has to be down to your own opinion. Lots of people think it's a bad idea but for some it's a god send, i would just say be super cautious :) xxx

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

And that's not something that's normal tbh. I say this as someone with diagnosed anxiety and a poor pregnancy history. Where do you stop? Checking every day? Every hour? There aren't the resources for everyone to do this.

[frikadela01]

I'm often amazed on these threads how many people are hearing heartbeats on home Dopplers really early on in pregnancy yet midwives don't even attempt Dopplers before 16 weeks. My midwife (very experienced) couldn't find mine at 16 weeks and said that it isn't uncommon for that to be the case, everything was fine btw.

Don't do it. They are not a good idea.

[INeedNewShoes]

Frikadela - just out of interest, what happened when the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat at your 16-week check? Were you sent for a scan to check that things were ok?

I ask because I'm currently 13 weeks and just wishing away the weeks until my 16-week check when I'm hoping the midwife will reassure me by finding the heartbeat with a doppler!

[GinIsIn]

Unless you are a trained medical professional, you aren't going to know how to interpret it - your heartbeat, the baby's, the placenta - you can't be sure what you are listening to and it's easy to pick up the wrong thing, or nothing at all and make yourself panic. Or to be falsely reassured when you should be listening to your body and seeking medical advice. It really isn't a good idea.