fetal heart monitor

[mummypud]

Does anyone know where i can rent one ? Found lots online but do chemists do this ? Also anyone know how reliable they are and from what stage ?

My consultant warned me strongly against these, because they can cause concern if the heartbeat cannot be heard, but also false reassurance if the heartbeat is heard but there is something wrong with the baby. The heart will continue to beat until it is too late to intervene.
I think there is a short window really for using them - from when the heartbeat can reliably be heard by an at home monitor - I think something like 16 weeks - until the monitoring of movements should take over as the way to detect something is wrong - which for some start about 18 weeks but can be later depending on the position of the placenta.
I think if you do want one because of anxiety, then go for it, but please don't use it as a substitute for monitoring movements.

You can buy a doppler cheaply off ebay or amazon, but do remember that they should only be used for "fun" not to reassure you about the baby. You can generally pick up a heartbeat on a doppler from early in the second trimester, depending on your size. I could find it from about 14 weeks but sometimes it was not easy to locate at that stage. In the third trimester it was easy to find it but of course once you start feeling regular movement you should seek immediate medical help if you notice reduced movements, and this is particularly the case in the third trimester. They warn you against dopplers because they dont' want ladies with reduced movement thinking it isn't a problem because they can hear the heartbeat so they don't go in for monitoring.

I work for a major manufacturer of these monitors. The only reason you should buy one is for you to have a bit of fun trying to listen to the baby's heartbeat. If you think you might be tempted to use it to check that the baby's ok then don't get one.

As thelobsterswife (?!) says, they can be quite dangerous if you don't have the proper training on how to use them. Things that can go wrong:

• confusing the bloodflow through the placenta with the baby's heartbeat.
• picking up the baby's heartbeat but not recognising that it's abnormal.
• picking up a heartbeat and so delaying a call to the professionals when the baby is in trouble.

Any of the above can lead to false reassurance and so failing to involve the professionals until it's too late :(

Oh should of said . Just for fun really im 13 odd weeks so not monitoring movements yet .

So now we've done our best to terrify you :o... Don't bother with the summer born child (something like that) one. SIL had it and couldn't hear a thing.

Just to add to akmd, whenever I got to the mw (31 weeks now) and she listens for heartbeat I think she's got it and she tells me its the blood flowing through the cord, it takes her a little while longer to find true heartbeat. After going a few times and hearing it I'm pretty sure that I couldn't confidently find it on my own and I think that would panic me.

Good point from sparklekitty with DS1 the cord seemed to be lying just over his heart and it often took the midwife ages to stop getting the cord and get the heart. This time I have an anterior placenta and she has to spend quite a while to get heartbeat rather than placenta blood flow.

I have one and have used it with my last and current pregnancy. I found the hb at 8weeks 4 days with dd and at 7 weeks 6 days this time. It gave me massive reassurance up to about 14 weeks when I relaxed a bit about miscarriage, and I put it away as soon as I feel regular movements about 20 weeks. Realistically up to 24 weeks there is naff all they can do if there's a problem anyhow, so I don't see any issue with using it for reassurance until then. I have never not been able to find the hb with either of mine except the odd day very early on, before 10 weeks, it does take some practice, and sometimes 15 minutes of searching in the early stages, but if you sit there long enough it's there. I do get the annoying thing with the cord being right over the baby, but if I change the angle slightly, it's clearer, and if I hear it even for a few seconds, that's enough reassurance for me.

A baby might not be viable before 21 weeks or have a good chance of survival until 24 weeks but it's always worth seeking professional advice if there seems to be a problem. Infections, high blood pressure, incompetent cervix etc. can all cause miscarriage or stillbirth of an otherwise healthy baby and can be treated before 21 weeks.

Boots do a 'fetal listening device' made by Summer, it isn't a Doppler, I'm 20 weeks and have yet to find a heartbeat, but baby does kick the hell out of the monitor (which you can hear) so I'm not worried. I don't think it's worth it though tbh. I bought it so the kids could listen in and feel 'part' of it.

The midwives I had when expecting DS hated the idea of us having a home doppler, for the reasons AKMD gives.

They said that if I was at all worried about DS - i.e. because of reduced movement - I should go to the hospital and get checked out, and not be messing about with home dopplers.

i have a doppler and i love it, i'm not trained in how to use it and recognise that it's not a substitute for medical help/advice but even after a couple of miscarriages my own GP (which i'm now changing) and my local hospital have never really taken any of my concerns seriously. i have used the doppler not as a substitute for their (very limited) support but to keep me sane while they get around to giving me an appointment to see if anything's wrong.

i agree they should be approached with caution but i would have gone nuts by now without mine.

I have an angelsounds which i bought years ago (pretty reasonably priced i think). I got the heartbeat each pregnancy around 9/10 weeks and for me it was great peace of mind - i never used it after i could feel movements, as others have said movement is a much more important indicator of wellbeing but they are great for early pregnancy!

I found it very easy to distinguish the baby's heartbeat btw - sounds like a fast train, you can hear clips on Youtube if you are in doubt.