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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

when did your midwife listen to babies hb???

26 replies

goingmadtrying · 16/02/2012 17:41

hi everyone

just wondered if you'd share with me when the mw first listened to the hb.

I've got my second mw appointment tomorrow and hoping she will try for me?

also considering getting a hb monitor myself what's your thought? have you got on??

thanks x

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belgo · 16/02/2012 17:42

From about 15 weeks, and even then it was difficult.

Imnotaslimjim · 16/02/2012 17:45

She tried at 16 weeks but didn't get i ttil next appt (so prob about 20 weeks) please don't get a monitor yourself, they're rubbish and just scare you when you can't hear it yourself

JambalayaCodfishPie · 16/02/2012 17:48

It's not policy anymore to do it, but older midwives still tend to just because it's habit.

If she doesn't routinely do it (like mine) then just ask, I'm sure she won't mind.

mildertduck · 16/02/2012 18:01

16 weeks and she found it straight away. I saw a different midwife on Tuesday for my 28 week appointment and she said there wasn't any need to use the doppler as she could feel Hobnob bashing about but she liked doing it anyway :)

Personally I haven't bothered buying a home doppler - I feel like it would just be setting myself up for unnecessary worry if I couldn't find the heartbeat on my own.

SleepyFergus · 16/02/2012 18:03

I was 16 weeks and she found it straight away. I wouldn't bother with a home Doppler, think it causes a lot of unnecessary worry if you can't find the hb.

lucidlady · 16/02/2012 18:23

I had a Doppler but I bought one of the professional ones, not the kind you buy in mothercare etc as they are shit. I got mine here: www.anawiz.com/acatalog/Hi_Bebe__BT200__Sound.html%23aHBS01

You can rent them if you don't want to buy, but I thought it more economical to buy one. I've never had any problems hearing the hb with this.

Spiritedwolf · 16/02/2012 18:44

See, I find this thing about the heartbeat listening timing quite odd. I'm pregnant with my first baby, and was called in for an early scan at 8 weeks due to having hypothyroidism. I didn't know why when I went, but they explained that there was a higher chance of early miscarriage, so they check that the baby is alive and growing fine.

When we were there, the midwife turned on the sound, listened for a bit and told us what we were hearing was our baby's heatbeat (she checked it wasn't mine!). It was completely unexpected and very emotional for both of us because we had been trying for 6 years and didn't quite believe that 1. we had concieved without help and 2. that everything was fine with the baby. Somehow hearing the baby's heart in real time was more reassurring than the image (which was quite small and blurry).

At our 10 week scan with a different midwife, she didn't offer to listen to the heartbeat and we didn't think to ask. We don't get another scan till 20 weeks I think.

So I find it a little odd that the heartbeat doesn't always seem to be able to be picked up till 16 weeks plus if our little smudge could be heard at 8 weeks.

MooncupandPizza · 16/02/2012 18:52

spirited - not sure of the technicalities but it may have been that the sonography machine is stronger and better at detecting things than the handheld ones that midwives use at routine visits?

With DS, I had a scan around 13 weeks privately and then went for my first midwife visit around the 15 week mark, I think she said she'd have a listen but not to worry if she couldn't hear anything at that point.

I also agree that home Dopplers can cause unnecessary worry if you can't find the heartbeat.

Pascha · 16/02/2012 18:54

16 weeks. She could only get the cord pulse though. I first heard the heartbeat properly at the 20 week scan.

Flisspaps · 16/02/2012 19:12

Not until 24w here. They told me there was no point trying before as it can be tricky to find, and not finding it causes more upset than it's worth.

puzzletree · 16/02/2012 19:16

I think they've only listened at 16 weeks in past pregnancies. But the midwife listened at 10 weeks this time. She'd just botched up taking bloods, so I think she wanted to make up for it by listening for the heartbeat. It took a little while to find but she said she should be able to find it as I was slim. Was lovely to hear so early!

bonbonpixie · 16/02/2012 23:26

My MW offered at 16 weeks and found it first time. In my notes she later wrote that I had asked to hear the heartbeat, explaining that it wasn't policy to offer before the 24 week appointment. Didn't think anything more about it until a consultant appointment later. Saw the Dr read the comment and just know she has internally labelled me as 'pushy'

Doitnicelyplease · 17/02/2012 00:47

Mine found it with a doppler at 9 weeks 5 days - I was shocked she even tried, since then I hear it every time (15 weeks, 21 weeks so far).

I think with my first pregnancy they tried to hear it from 12 weeks. I has been fairly easy to find every time.

sillymillyb · 17/02/2012 01:45

16 weeks but she made me promise I wouldn't panic if she couldn't find it yet... I promised, despite knowing I would have been a tearful wreck if she hadn't managed to hear him!

ballroompink · 17/02/2012 06:35

24 weeks for me. She told me that they don't bother before that here as it can be too hard to find and worry women unnecessarily.

liveinazoo · 17/02/2012 06:44

from 8weeks where i am,every visit

Flisspaps · 17/02/2012 07:39

bonbon You can write in your notes to say your midwife offered to listen at 16w rather than leaving them incorrect

FutureNannyOgg · 17/02/2012 09:24

bonbon, I think your MW might have been doing you a favour by offering before she is supposed to

Mine wouldn't check at 15 weeks, this pg or the last, I had to wait until after the 20 week scan.

I do have a home doppler, it was cheap and it does work, but you have to bear in mind that if you can't find a HB, that it's probably just because you are not a trained baby heartbeat finder. I wouldn't recommend it if you are likely to worry. I was hearing it from 15ish weeks both pregnancies, but it is hard to find as baby is in the pelvis. I didn't use it last time after he started moving regularly. It was handy for recording his HB though, I still have that file and I have used it for teaching.

Yummymummyyobe1 · 17/02/2012 09:27

From 15 weeks and at every appointment since. xx

thefurryone · 17/02/2012 09:31

Mine offered and found it at 14 weeks, I was surprised, but she found it first time, was lovely to hear.

spirited I imagine the heartbeat is easier to hear when your scanned as they can see where the baby and therefore the heart is, with a doppler the midwife just has to point it at where they think the baby's heart is and hope they can track it down. MW's used a doppler at all my appointments and even in late pregnancy it was often tricky to locate if the cord was in the way or the baby was wriggling.

Methe · 17/02/2012 09:32

I found my babys HB yesterday with a home Doppler at 9+3, I found my ds's at 10+1.. Both within a couple of minutes and I'm certainly not slim! Midwives have always listened after about 14w I think.

ChunkyPickle · 17/02/2012 09:35

Mine found it with a doppler at the first proper appt after booking in - 9-10 weeks if I remember rightly - I was surprised since I'd read that it would be hard to find that early, especially given my porkiness.

Spiritedwolf · 17/02/2012 09:39

Ah that maybe explains it, furry one I was torn between thinking we were lucky, and assuming that my ample belly was allowing the sound to echo better ;)

farmerswifey · 17/02/2012 10:00

Had my 16 week scan yesterday. My lovely MW didn't 'offer' as such - just said "right, now were going to listen to little one's heart beat" She found it very easily and said it was a lovely strong beat - I do so love my mid-wife. She also added that due to the rate she thinks it's quite probably a girl, I think this is just an 'old wives tale', but it fits with my feelings, so who am I to not listen to her

worldgonecrazy · 17/02/2012 10:10

I think sometimes they don't do it because it can cause major stress if they can't find a heartbeat. I was around 24 weeks at a routine MW appointment at the GP surgery and she tried to find the heartbeat. It took 10 minutes to find it. If DD hadn't been bouncing around my tummy like an acrobat those 10 minutes would have been dreadful.

Anecdotally, a lot of mums and MW have reported that babies seem to move away from the doppler, as if it's something they don't like.

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