Home Doppler

[Littlemissimpatient]

Is it worth buying a home fetal Doppler?
When should you start using it?
I've had 2 previous mc's so not sure if it will put my mind to rest or give me more stress if I can't hear it.
Also thought it might be good for DH to hear.
What you think?

I bought one when i was around 10 weeks (from ebay - paid around £10)
I couldn't find the HB till i was 14 weeks, it took me a long time to finally catch it but i went into it with an open mind and i knew that chances were i won't find it for a very long time! If it will stress you out not finding it i would wait until you are further on.

I have one and brought it after my MC, it was has been a godsend with all 3 of my pregnancies since. It is the only thing that keeps me calm. I take it with me if I go away and it means I relax and enjoy myself. The only advice I would give would be to get a good one not the ones with headphones from mothercare. I brought a professional one which means you can hear the heartbeat a lot stronger and see the heart rate on the screen. I got one from anawiz, it is identical to the one my MW uses.

I don't have one, but the midwife taking my birth prep class the other day made a very good point. She said she'd really advise against getting one, not because you might get more anxious if you can't hear anything, but because you might be falsely reassured if you do hear something. Ie. if baby's movements change, but you can still hear a normal heartbeat on the Doppler, you might be less inclined to go to get it checked out at hospital than if you didn't have one. I hasn't really thought of it that way round before, but it makes sense.

DH bought us one.

It can be hard to find the heartbeat, particularly early on when the baby is tiny, which can be a bit stressful.

I also found it very hard at first to tell which heartbeat was the baby, and which was me.

And some midwives really seem to hate people having them.
We got a right long lecture from one midwife about the evils of using them after we mentioned that we had one. The general gist was that only midwives can possibly be qualified to understand dopplers and everyone else should be banned from using them because they're not midwives and can't be trusted to use them. She said that not even doctors with lots of experience of using dopplers (such as DH) should be allowed near them, as doctors aren't midwives. And that we should concentrate on counting the kicks instead.

I agree with what blushingmare said.

You need to be in tune with your babies movements and pattern of these movements. How do you know what your really listening for? Would you spot an abnormal pattern?

The ones you can buy online are not good. The ones we use at work cost £600 approx, and are very high quality.

I'm even more against them after a bad case I'd heard about in a neighbouring hospital where a mum had been listening in, and all along it was her own HB she was listening to.

I'd rather a woman came and saw me weekly just to listen in if she was that anxious, I really wouldn't mind that at all and am lucky enough to work somewhere where I'd be able to give her that time.

I agree once you can feel movement it is very important to monitor this over the heartbeat but on mine it is very obvious the difference between the mothers HB and the babies. It has a display so you can hear but also see rh difference, all of my DC's hav generally been between 140-160 BPM where as mine is 80 ish.

I have found it most useful in between weeks 11-21 when you can't always feel obvious movement and the 5 kicks per hour.

Emptycrisppacket, I wish I could see a MW every week to check the heartbeat I'd love that. I am currently expecting DC3 and I saw a MW at 16 weeks and she has booked me in to see her again at 34 weeks so other than my 20 week scan nobody apart from myself will check on my baby for 18 weeks. I know there are less checks than with your first but this seems unbelievable to me. My friend lost her baby at 28 weeks and if she was me she might not have known until 34 weeks. Even at my 16 week check up she asked if I wanted her to check the heartbeat which I thought was the main point often check up.

I'm open mouthed your not seen for that period of time.

Who will check your blood pressure? Dip your wee? And listen in? Not to mention at 28 weeks bloods (I'm assuming this is done in most places esp for those who are rhesus neg).

I'm genuinely shocked. We see women at booking, then 16 weeks. If its first baby then 21 weeks, or 25 for multips. Then 28 weeks, 32,34,36,38 and weekly. I also am happy to mums in between these if she needs something.

I have a Doppler. After RMC it keeps me sane. I also find it fine telling which is mine and which is baby (mine 50, baby 160 so not difficult). It hasn't stopped me seeking medical advice when I've needed it but it has stopped me loosing my mind on many occasions. I think as long as you are sensible with it it can be useful. Used mine since about 10 weeks, real Internet cheapy. Really good to fill the gap between regular movements. Once movements more established I am guessing I will use it less as they become more important.

I wouldn't have got one originally, because I thought it would just make me extra worried and anxious. But my sister-in-law gave me the one she had. It's only a cheapo one, not a very practical design but it works pretty well. It was nice for DH to hear the heartbeat. I think it's best to try and just use it as a bit of fun, and leave all the Proper listening in and diagnostic stuff to the professionals.

I'm not sure I would have bought one myself though. Especially not when the baby is really tiny and it might be hard to find, because I'd have just got all stressed. I was given it at 19 weeks. But now my baby is wriggling around loads, that's reassurance enough for me.

Thanks everyone I'm going to show this to DH and have a little chat about it.
My 2 previous mc were before 12 wks so if it's unlikely to hear hb before then there might not be any point.
Thanks

I got one of the summer time ones from Boots a while back and picked up a heart beat at 15 weeks but havent been able to get it since - tbh they are not very good and have lots of background noise! I think it was a fluke!

That said we heard the heart beat at 16 weeks and am just (a 18+5) starting to feel the occasional prod but I have ordered a Sonaline one from Amazon (£42) which has good reviews.

I feel rather 'left alone' by the system - apart from my anomoly scan on Monday I will have had nothing between 16 and 24 weeks - I appriciate this is policy and I guess I could go on a whim but everything seems fine and the clinic times are a PITA as I work 2 hours away from home. Also the only times I have rung the community team with a question I was not terribly impressed.

I just want reassurance IYSWIM. I know well that I might struggle to find it so to not panic but if I felt in anyway unhappy about anything else I'd be straight on the phone.

Nobody will check my urine, listen to the heartbeat or measure me, this wasn't done at 16 weeks either, do they still do this?

I do have to have 28 week bloods done but it is just done at a Phlebotomy department so I won't see a MW they literally take bloods and send result 4 weeks later.

I'm glad you have said this, maybe I should call the hospital to check with them rather than relying on my MW? I definitely had more checks than this with DC2 I just didn't know if they cut it back even more with DC3.

We do cut a few, for instance the 21 week appt but I always leave it in mums hands, if she wants to be seen no problem.

Measuring doesn't Normally commence until 26/28 week gestation.

Still shocked your seen so little!