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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

CAN ANYONE RECCOMEND A DOOPLER?

17 replies

xkatyx · 12/08/2010 11:24

I hope i spelled that right?

I'm 14 week's maybe a bit early to hear anything yet, but im a terrible worrier and would love one, never had one beofre.

Has anyone got any reccomendations and when can they be used?

thank you

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TotorosOcarina · 12/08/2010 11:26

Don't get the crap ones in argos, they don't work.

you can hire them

but if you want it for the whole pregnancy you may be better off buying as they are about £90 anyways!

applecharlotte · 12/08/2010 11:27

Angel Sounds - from Amazon. £30 including gel. Its brilliant. I could hear a heartbeat at 11 weeks (with patience) now i'm 14 weeks and its really clear!

TotorosOcarina · 12/08/2010 11:29

lol, thats the one i meant not to get

the medical ones are much better.

Firepile · 12/08/2010 11:37

Not being judgey at all and not trying to scare you - but you should know that Dopplers are not recommended for recreational use - doctors wrote to the British Medical Journal with concerns following a tragic case where a baby died. You can see the letter here.

TotorosOcarina · 12/08/2010 11:43

Fire, the baby didn't die because of the doppler, it died and they said that if she would have come in rather than reasusuring hersf with the doppler the baby may have lived.

So as long as you use the doppler 'for fun' and consult your midwife if you have any concerns then I don't see the problem.

Firepile · 12/08/2010 11:48

Yes but the point is that she was reassured by the doppler - and didn't seek help as a result of the false reassurance... This is relevant given that the OP has described herself as a "bit of a worrier"...

TotorosOcarina · 12/08/2010 11:54

Well I would suggest to her that if she is worried enough about anything to use the doppler as a 'medical tool' rather than just listening for fun then she should always consult her midwife immediatly.

Firepile · 12/08/2010 12:01

OK Totoros, but surely any woman needs to know about the potential downsides before she can make an informed decision about whether to buy one or not.

For the record - and unsurprisingly - I wouldn't. But different people might make different choices.

Kity · 12/08/2010 12:13

in my opinion they're a bad idea. I've worked on many maternity wards and they are frowned upon by most midwives.
Its not about the reassurance they provide when you can hear the heartbeat its about the stress and anxiety caused when you cant. My midwife can still take a little while to find my babies HB due to position etc.
I do know people that have used the angel sounds one, but they have also had more trips to the antenatal clinic when they couldn't hear the HB
Just my opinion.

Emsyboo · 12/08/2010 12:57

I have the angel sounds one but if I can't hear the heart beat I don't worry, I find it lovely all the grandparents have had a listen and my DH who couldn't attent the midwife appointment where she found the heartbeat. I usually can find the heartbeat I bought it at 11 weeks and it took some time to find the heartbeat but now I find it all the time although sometimes I have to follow the kicking.
I NEVER use it instead of midwife appointments or medical care and as long as you don't stress if you can't hear the heartbeat straight away its not a problem.
After a hard 1st timester I have now been diagnosed with antenatel depression and find the doppler a good way to bond with the baby and helps me put things in perspective about the pregnancy cos this little wiggling thing I can hear with a real heartbeat is what it is all about and helps to calm my anxiety (not about the baby's health but other thoughts I have).
At the end of the day they are not for everyone if you are a worrier perhaps its not for you? But if you want to hear your baby and understand it is not medical equipment to be relied upon or a substitute for antenatal care most people should be ok.

fragola · 12/08/2010 13:59

Where does it say in the article that the baby died? I can only see "The baby remained on the special care baby unit for eight weeks with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and an intraventricular haemorrhage. The baby is making steady progress with her neurodevelopment."

EmmaKateWH · 12/08/2010 14:03

don't get the summer infant listening system which is about 30 pounds in boots - its total crap.

Firepile · 12/08/2010 14:15

Fragola - embarrasingly enough you are right - a case of half-remembering the case, finding the link and not actually reading closely enough.

Consider retraction made, but I still think that they are a bad plan - both because of the risks of false reassurance and the potential for unnecessary anxiety highlighted by Kity.

There is a massive industry selling pregnant women expensive stuff that is at best unnecesary and at worst damaging. I think that personal dopplers definitely fall into that category.

lucybrad · 12/08/2010 16:07

angel sounds - could hear the heartbeat at 10 weeks and have never not been able to find it.

Original poster

xkatyx · 12/08/2010 18:05

Hi everyone, thank you, i would never dream of usuing it instead of midwife, i just find waiting for the next scan a long wait, i also suffered with pnd SO really want to make a strong bond this time round.

I am a worrier but if i can feel the baby move and cant find the hearbeat it wouldnt worry me, and it goes without saying if i had any worries about the baby i wouldnt rely on the monitor at all.

all in all the angel sounds, sound really good may give them a go thank you.

OP posts:

sotough · 12/08/2010 18:07

hi, i talked to my midwife about this this afternoon. she said the problem is that with a doppler you can hear three things: your own heartbeat, the baby's heartbeat, and blood pulsing to the placenta/cord. she said it's very easy for inexperienced people to confuse the three. I listened to all three different sounds as she 'dopplered' me this afternoon and I can see (or rather hear) what she means. i personally don't think it's worth it, and I speak as someone who is in a state of anxiety about my pregnancy almost all the time, having had multiple miscarriages. i'm now 18 weeks pregnant and get weekly midwife appointments where they listen to the heartbeat for me, which is really nice. i think if i had a doppler i'd just obsess even more than i already do, and that's saying something!

ReshapeWhileDamp · 12/08/2010 18:13

I'd never use one. I'm not qualified to! Sotough is right that it's hard to distinguish between the cord/placenta and baby heartbeat (my GP made that mistake, last pregnancy). (Sotough, I've also had MCs and I think having a home doppler would have driven me mad, needing that reassurance and using substandard equipment that I didn't know how to operate or interpret correctly.)

But I'd be more concerned about getting horribly stressed because you couldn't find a heartbeat, or getting so dependent on it that you had to check all the time. I think they'd be a nightmare to have in the house, frankly.

And they are a medical tool, even if not medical grade. If people were able to purchase a home kit for DIY scans, I wonder if they'd buy it?

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